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UTILIZATION — THE FIELD OF THE FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY BEGINS HERE 



The Forest Products Laboratory 

A Decennial Record 

1910 -- 1920 



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THE FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY 

AN INSTITUTION OF INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH 

MAINTAINED AT MADISON, WISCONSIN 

IN QUARTERS FURNISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN 

BY THE 

BRANCH OF RESEARCH 

FOREST SERVICE 

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



PUBLISHED BY THE 

DECENNIAL COMMITTEE 

HOWARD F. WEISS, Chairman 

1921 



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By Trj nsfer 



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DEMOCRAT PRINTING COMPANY 
MADISON. WISCONSIN 



GENERAL COMMITTEE 
Decennial Celebration 

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY 

MADISON, WISCONSIN 
JULY 22 AND 23, 1920 



Honorary Chairman, 

Emanuel L. Philipp, Governor, 
Commonwealth of Wisconsin. 
Chairman, 

Howard F. Weiss, 

C. F. Burgess Laboratories, Madison, 
Wis. Ex-Director, Forest Products Lab- 
oratory. 

First Vice-Chairman, 

Carlile P. Winslow, Director, Forest 
Products Laboratory. 

Second Vice-Chairman, 

H. J. Thorkelson, Business Manager, Uni- 
versity of Wisconsin. 

Executive Secretary, 

Don E. Mowry, General Secretary, 
Madison Association of Commerce. 



R. H. Aishton, President, 

American R. R. Assn., Chicago, 111. 
W. R. Anderson, Publisher, 

"Packages." Milwaukee, Wis. 

James R. Angell, Chairman, 

National Research Council, 

Washington, D. C. 
E. A. Birge, President, 

University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 

J. H. Bloedel. President, Bloedel-Donovan 

Lumber Mills, Seattle, Wash. Vice Pres. 

Nat'l Lumber Mfgrs. Ass'n. 
C. S. Brantingham, President, 

Emerson— Brantingham Co., Rockford, 111. 

Chairman, Advisory Committee, National 

Implement & Vehicle Association. 
R. C. Bryant, 

Yale Forest School, New Haven, Conn. 

Pres. Society of American Foresters. 
C. B. Chapman, President, 

Madison Association of Commerce. 
Geo. M. Cornwall, Editor and Publisher. 

"The Timberman," Portland. Ore. 

Jos. H. Defrees, Defrees, Buckingham & 
Eaton, Attorneys, Chicago, 111. 

President Chamber of Commerce of U. 
S. A. 

M. C. Fitzgerald. Director of Transporta- 
tion, General Electric Co., 

Schenectady, N. Y. 

A. L. Ford, Managing Editor, 

"American Lumberman," Chicago, 111. 

L. D. Gardner, President, The Gardner— 
Moffat Co., Inc. New York, N. Y. 

W. A. Gilchrist, Chicago, 111. 

Chairman, Committee on Wood Utilization 
and Prevention of Waste. National Lum- 
ber Manufacturers'- Association. 

John M. Glenn, President, 

Glenn & Co., Chicago. III. 

Secretary, Illinois Mfgrs. Association. 

R. B. Goodman, Secretary, Sawyer 

, Goodman Lumber Co., Marinette. Wis. 

' Director, Nat'l Lumber Mfgrs. Ass'n. 



Henry S. Graves, Washington, D. C. 

Former Forester, U. S. Forest Service. 
W. K. Hatt, Purdue Univ., Lafayette, Ind. 

President Concrete Institute. 
Chas. H. Herty, Editor, 

"Jour. Ind. and Eng. Chem.," 

New York, N. Y. 

Howard W. Hobbs, 

Wood Mosaic Co., Inc., Louisville, Ky. 

Willard C. Howe, President and Treasurer, 

Journal of Commerce Co., St. Louis, Mo. 

B. F. Huntley, President, B. F. Huntley 
Furniture Co. Winston-Salem, N. C. 
Chairman, Forest Products Laboratory 
Committee, So. Furn. Mfgrs. Ass'n. 

Louis T. Jamme, Chicago, 111. 

Ex-V. P. and Chairman Civic-Ind. Com., 
Chicago Association of Commerce. 

Elmer C. Jensen. 

Mundie & Jensen, Architects, Chicago, 111. 

Bolling Arthur Johnson, Editor and Pub., 
"Lumber World Review," Chicago, 111. 

A. R. Joyce, First Vice-President. 

Joyce Watkins Co.. Chicago, 111. 

Pres., American Wood Preservers Ass'n. 

C. F. Kettering, Dayton-Wright Branch, 
General Motors, Dayton, Ohio 

James S. Macgregor, United Aircraft Engi- 
neering Corporation, New York, N. Y. 

B. F. Masters, V. P. & Gen. Man., 
Rathborne Hair & Ridgeway Company, 

Chicago, 111. 

Chairman of Bd. Nat'l Ass'n Box Mfgrs. 
Harry H. Merrick, President, 

Great Lakes Trust Co., Chicago, 111. 

President, Mississippi Valley Association. 
Geo. W. Mixter, Vice-President, 

Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Co., Buffalo, N. Y. 

E. R. Moak. Managing Editor, 
"Wisconsin State Journal," Madison, Wis. 

L. D. Post. Publisher, 

"Paper Mill & Pulp Wood News," 

New York, N. Y. 

Percival Sheldon Ridsdale, Editor, 

"American Forestry," Washington, D. C. 

F. J. Sensenbrenner, First Vice-Pres., Kim- 
berly-Clark Company, Neenah, Wis. 

E. B. Stevens, President, 

Wood Products Co., Buffalo, N. Y. 

W. H. Sullivan, Vice-Pres. <C- Gen. Man., 
Great Southern Lumber Co., Bogalusa, 
La. Director, Nat'l Lumber Mfg. Ass'n. 

David E. Town, General Manager, 

"Chicago Evening Post" and associated 
papers, Chicago, 111. 

R. F. Windoes. Editor, 

"Furniture Manufacturer and Artisan, 

Grand Rapids, Mich. 

C. H. Worcester, President, 

C. H. Worcester Company, Chicago. 111. 
Vice-Pres., Nat'l Lumber Mfgrs. Ass'n. 



} 



CONTEXTS 



Foreword 



Part I 



II 
III 



CHAPTER 

I Wood and Human Progress 

Early Perspectives of Forest Utilization 
The Forest Products Laboratory . 

Establishment 

Growth 

Organization 

Equipment 

Personnel 
Ten Years of Research in Forest Products 

Pre-war Research 

War Work .... 
Financial Value of Research Results 
Future Research in Forest Products 
How to Use the Laboratory 



IV 



V 

VI 

VII 



PAGE 
1 

4 
9 
9 
10 
12 
16 
19 
23 
23 
37 
59 
63 
75 



Part II 

Decennial Foreword .... 

Decennial Celebration Program 

Decennial Celebration Proceedings 

General Assembly, July 22, 1920 . 

H. F. Weiss, Chairman 
Banquet, July 22, 1920 . 

Burr W. Jones, LL. D., Toastmaster 
General Assembly, July 23, 1920 . 

John Foley, Chairman 

Appendix 

Decennial Registration List . 
Former Laboratory Staff Members 



8.5 

86 



87 
119 
139 



179 
189 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Utilization — The Field of the Forest Products Laboratory 

Begins Here Frontispiece 

Three Foresters, United States Forest Service .... 3 

The Yard to Which Come Logs from Many Climes and Coun- 
tries 8 

Organization Chart, Forest Products Laboratory . . .14 

Erection of the Million Pound Timber Testing Machine ( 1920) . 17 

Three Directors, Forest Products Laboratory . . . .20 

The Timber Mechanics Laboratory . . . . . .24 

Box Testing in the Big Tumbling Drum . . . . .27 

A Charge of Ties Entering the Preservation Cylinder at the Lab- 
oratory .......... 30 

War Work — An Airplane Wing Bib Being Placed in a Testing 

Machine 36 

Personnel Development Chart — July, 1917 to July, 1920 . . 39 

Laminated Construction as Applied to Wooden Articles of Com- 
merce ........... 44 

Glue Spreading Machine ........ 46 

Some War Time Installations of Types of Dry Kilns Developed 

at the Laboratory ....... . 50 

Wood Distillation Betort 56 

Studying the Many Factors Entering into the Manufacture and 

Storage of Airplane Propellers ...... 62 

Forest Service Improvements in Turpentining . . . .68 

Wood Technology — The Microscope is Useful in Identification . 72 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

The Control and Operation End of a Dry Kiln at the Laboratory 76 

Cooperative Box Work — A Study of Diagonal Compression . 79 

A Quiet Moment During the Decennial . . . . .84 

Educational Work — A Typical Class in Kiln Drying . .100 

Timber Tests — A Large Built-up Floor Beam Being Tested to 

Destruction . . . . . . . . .110 

New Boxes for Old — Some War Time Box Work at the Lab- 
oratory .......... 118 

Notable Decennial Figures — Director C. P. Winslow, Forester 

W. B. Greeley, Former Director H. F. Weiss . . . 122 

Bending Heavy Wheel Rims . . . . . . .134 

Moisture Resistant Coatings — -Applying Aluminum Leaf to 

Wheel Pattern 138 

The Paper Making Machine . . . . . . .142 

A Corner of the Pulp and Paper Laboratory . . . .148 

Notable Decennial Figures — Speakers and Leaders . . .156 

Laboratory Helpers Gathering Data for Determining Moisture 

Content of Woods 162 

A Miracle of Chemistry — Conversion of Sawdust into Stock 

Food 170 






FOREWORD 

On July twenty-second, nineteen twenty, several 
hundred representatives of America's diversified wood- 
using industries assembled at Madison, Wisconsin, to 
celebrate the tenth anniversary of the founding of the 
Forest Products Laboratory. Men, representative of 
every important industry which draws upon the forests 
for its raw material, were present from throughout the 
United States. Several came from foreign countries. 

The decennial celebration, of which the publication 
of this record is a part, was conceived as a mark of trib- 
ute to ten years of public service unique in the forest 
history of the world, and it was made possible by the 
contributions of over two hundred firms and individ- 
uals. Acknowledgment is here made by the committee 
for this striking evidence of good will, and the hope is 
expressed that this volume will reflect the spirit and 
character of the work of this institution during the first 
ten years of its public service. 



THE FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY 
A DECENNIAL RECORD 

PART I 



CHAPTER I 
WOOD AXD HUM AX PROGRESS 



Knowledge is the torch of human progress. It throws its light 
forward and lifts each generation upward in the scale of civilization 
in proportion as that generation accepts its standards. In the story 
of creation, knowledge is symbolized by a tree. Down through the 
intervening ages man's use of wood in attaining new heights of knowl- 
edge has been one of the most important factors in the advance of 
civilization. 

Primitive man, we are told, was dominated by the forest. But as 
his crude imagination slowly awakened to the arts of life, he finally 
succeeded in reversing the order of his environment by making the 
forests more and more serve his material needs. And in conquering 
the forests, he built up the material structure of his own civilization; 
he stimulated his latent consciousness of the power of civilization ; he 
lifted himself from a life of savage and nomadic wandering to the 
social and industrial modernism of today. 

History is rich in evidence of the achievement of human progress 
through knowledge derived from wood. Man, it is held, was rescued 
from a state of savagery primarily by two discoveries : the art of kind- 
ling fire at his will and the use of the bow and arrow, which made him 
master of his food supply and provided him with clothing. Ages 
later, the discovery of iron, with which he could fashion wood more 
and more to serve his needs, appears to have been the step from bar- 
barism to the first stages of civilization. 

It would be difficult to express proper appreciation of wood as a 
material stimulus to learning and the arts of living. Its ready adapt- 
ability, we can well believe, made it the sculptor's clay by which man 
tested and developed his first imaginative theories and laid the primi- 
tive foundation of much present day science. The origin of the prin- 
ciple of the wheel, which is an essential part of almost every machine 
or mechanical conveyance of our own age, is lost in antiquity, as evi- 



2 The Forest Products Laboratory 

denced by wooden wheels taken from the monuments of ancient 
Egypt. In these same mounds are found the earliest recorded form 
of plows, made from wood, with iron tipped wedges. With these plows 
man acquired his first crude knowledge of extensive agriculture, and 
he used them, with slight modifications, until the first half of the 
eighteenth century. 

With wood, man learned to build homes and create architecture ; 
to construct ships and master navigation ; to build bridges and develop 
the science of mechanics ; to generate steam and harness its power for 
transportation. Modern electric and magnetic science owes its birth 
to fossil resin from coniferous forests which were prehistoric when 
Pliny, seventy years before the dawn of Christianity, recorded the fact 
that amber, when rubbed, acquired the power of attracting straws. 
Thus, in diverse ways, fundamental principles have first been worked 
out from wood, and the knowledge thus gained — primitive though it 
may now appear — has been applied in developing the use of stone, iron, 
steel, concrete and other materials. The process still goes on. Within 
a decade, man has conquered the air with a wooden plane and is today 
applying the results of his experiments to the fabrication of an all 
metal machine. 

It is a striking fact that through the agency of wood, man has 
acquired more fundamental knowledge of related subjects than he 
has of the properties of wood itself. In the development of his wood 
craft, he has been likened to the growing child who, building with 
blocks, acquires an ever larger consciousness of their adaptability to 
new figures as experience matures his mind. Spurred by personal 
needs and the rewards of commercialism, however, man fashioned wood 
into many scores of standard products, about which trade-crafts took 
shape and became clearly defined through many centuries of compe- 
tition and zealous individualism. He thus built up a great diversified 
mass of wood-using lore, based, not upon a scientific knowledge of the 
many different kinds of wood used, but upon rule of thumb methods, 
beliefs, customs and prejudices, passed down from one generation to 
another as expanded by the increasing complexities of each changing 
age. 

Into this accumulated mass of trade practices, business methods, 
and usages built up through the years, there was injected, even up to 



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Henry S. Graves 
1910 - 1920 



Gifford Pinchot 

1900 - 1910 




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United States 
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William B Greeley 

1920- 



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The Forest Products Laboratory 



the beginning of our present century, little knowledge derived from 
pure scientific research into wood products and the wood products 
industries. However, by that time certain forces were well under way 
that were destined shortly to produce results and create an entirely 
new factor in the field of wood-using trade methods of America, and 
other countries also. 



CHAPTER II 
EARLY PERSPECTIVES OF FOREST UTILIZATION 

Abundant forests have made the Lnited States the greatest 
wood-using nation of the world, but they have made it also the great- 
est wood waster of the world. Our lumbering practice has been built 
upon supplying the best the forest affords and leaving the rest as 
waste. Our forefathers commenced the practice because they had 
more forests than they knew how to use. Pioneers, moving westward, 
continued the system. And lumber consumers, educated to expect 
the best, continued to demand the best. Thus the great dictator of 
forest utilization in this country has been custom instead of specialized 
knowledge of the properties of our different woods. The power of 
knowledge has been capitalized in a mechanical science for converting 
forests into lumber and manufactured products, a science which is 
unsurpassed anywhere in the world, and which has made wood avail- 
able in a greater variety of forms than any other material with which 
man comes in contact. It has made wood, as Roosevelt asserted, an 
indispensable part of the structure upon which our civilization rests, 
but its ready convertibility to man's multitudinous needs appears to 
have held passive, so long as forests seemed inexhaustible, the stimulus 
to study its properties. 

The world today very generally accepts the view that forests are 
essential to progress and to social and industrial supremacy. The 



A Decexxial Record 



culture of the forest-starved regions of Europe leaves, in the minds 
of those who have had opportunities to make comparisons, no doubt 
that there is a point below which forests can not safely be reduced. 
Europe itself recognized that fact several centuries ago, but America, 
with its boundless forests, once thought inexhaustible, is just begin- 
ning fully to awaken to the cause of forest conservation espoused in 
this country a few decades ago by a small group of far-seeing men. 
The present Forest Service, a bureau of the United States Depart- 
ment of Agriculture, is the outgrowth of the study, thought and efforts 
of these men. 

Their purposes, however, were much opposed and misunderstood 
from the start. A common misconception was that they proposed to 
lock up the forests against use ; whereas what they sought was to re- 
place heedless and wasteful exploitation by rational management of 
the forests and by rational utilization of their products. They spoke 
from the experience of older countries and urged the application of 
knowledge then available as well as the acquirement of an additional 
knowledge needed to put our forest lands and our wood crops to their 
highest use in perpetuity. They stressed the forest management that 
they had learned from Europe, but they did not fail to recognize that 
a knowledge of the properties of our many different woods is funda- 
mental to the economical utilization and conservation of our forest 
resources. 

In the report of the Division of Forestry for the year 1887. B. E. 
Fernow, Chief of the Division, wrote : 

"The properties upon which the use of wood, its technology, is 
based, should be well known to the forest manager if he wishes to 
produce a crop of given quality useful for definite purposes. Our 
ignorance in this direction has been most fruitful in fostering a 
wasteful use of our natural forests, and the same ignorance mis- 
leads even the forest planter of today in choosing the timber he 
plants and the locality to which he adapts it. How the Black 
Walnut has been sacrificed for fence material, how the valuable 
Chestnut Oak has rotted in the forest unused, how the Hemlock 
has been despised and passed by when it might have been suc- 
cessfully used to lengthen the duration of White Pine supplies, 
how timbers are now used in unnecessarily large sizes and applied 



6 The Forest Products Laboratory 

to uses for which they are not adapted, while other timbers are 
neglected for uses for which they are adapted — all these unfortu- 
nate misapplications are or have been due to lack of knowledge 
of the technological properties of our timbers. 

"Every day, almost, brings to light a new use for this or that 
timber, every now and then lumber papers are weighing the serv- 
iceability of this or that wood. Instead of proceeding on a sure 
and scientific basis in recommending the application of any wood 
to a particular use, opinions pro and con are brought to bear, and 
the proper development of our resources is thereby retarded. 
Yesterday it was Redwood that needed commendation in the 
market, today it is Cypress that must be praised in order to re- 
ceive due appreciation. Our timbers have never been fairly 
tested, or if they have their qualities are not duly appreciated. 
Many kinds have their use and value still hardly recognized; 
woods of exceptional value for manufacturing purposes are con- 
sumed for fuel; valuable and scarce varieties are used for coarse 
work, while cheaper and more abundant sorts are available. Still 
less knowledge exists in regard to the conditions of growth which 
influence the quality of woods. Crude 'experience' has been our 
guide, and 'crude' has remained our 'knowledge'." 

Fifteen years later, Theodore Roosevelt, then President, broke 
all presidential precedents by addressing, at a private home in Wash- 
ington, a meeting of the Society of American Foresters, an organiza- 
tion which embraced the handful of American foresters of that time. 
During his talk, he said : 

"And now, first and foremost, you can never afford to forget 
for one moment what is the object of our forest policy. That 
object is not to preserve the forests because they are beautiful, 
though that is good in itself, nor because they are refuges for the 
wild creatures of the wilderness, though that, too, is good in itself ; 
but the primary ob j ect of our forest policy, as of the land policy 
of the United States, is the making of prosperous homes. It is 
part of the traditional policy of home making of our country. 
Every other consideration comes as secondary. The whole effort 
of the Government in dealing with the forests must be directed 
to this end, keeping in view the fact that it is not only necessary 
to start the homes as prosperous, but to keep them so. That is 



A Decennial Record 



why the forests have got to be kept. You can start a prosperous 
home by destroying the forests, but you can not keep it prosper- 
ous that way. . . . 'Forestry is the preservation of forests 
by wise use'." 

In the midst of timber plenty, the work of early pioneers to 
advance the cause of forestry in this country belied itself to many, but 
in the years that followed, the rapidly enlarging spectacle of forest 
devastation accompanied by growing scarcity and increasing prices 
of wood, left in doubt no longer the accuracy of their vision or the 
justice of their endeavors. Today the problem of forest conservation 
stands out as one of the most vital economic issues of the nation. 
Knowledge accumulated during the past thirty years has served to 
crystalize the problem, for it is now generally conceded that its solu- 
tion lies along two main lines of endeavor: the first is by stopping fur- 
ther devastation through such measures as will afford adequate pro- 
tection and regulation of our remaining forests and will put our forest- 
bearing lands on a permanent forest producing basis; the second is 
the curtailment of the annual drain upon the remaining forests by more 
complete and scientific use of the trees cut, a use arrived at by an 
accurate knowledge of the properties of the various woods and their 
economic use. 




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A Decennial, Record 9 

CHAPTER III 
THE FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY 

Establishment 

The national need for research in forest products was recognized 
from the earliest days of the Division of Forestry and became increas- 
ingly apparent as forest exhaustion in the east advanced. Eventu- 
ally it asserted itself. The scanty appropriations of the first decade 
of American governmental forestry provided little money for research 
in forest products, and between 1890 and 1910 work was mainly of a 
cooperative nature and was done largely at various universities where 
laboratory facilities were obtainable or buildings were available for 
housing testing equipment. 

Studies of the mechanical properties of the more important woods 
were begun at the universities of Washington, Yale, Purdue, Califor- 
nia, and Oregon. Some preservation and kiln drying studies were 
undertaken at Yale, research in naval stores initiated in the South, 
and a small experimental pulp mill erected in Boston. Wood chem- 
istry and the chemistry of wood preservatives were also handled in a 
limited way at this latter place in 1907. 

During the following two years it became increasingly evident 
that greater facilities for research would have to be provided, and that 
centralization was essential to the success of the work. The very na- 
ture of research demands coordination of all related facts and studies, 
and this coordination is difficult to secure without centralization of 
allied research agencies. 

A very large part of the research work of the Forest Service had 
been carried out in cooperation with various universities, which had 
been glad to place some of their facilities at the disposal of the service, 
and so it was natural that, in the need for increased facilities, thought 
should be given to the universities. A thorough canvass of Washing- 
ton had already shown the utter futility of trying to rent suitable 
quarters for the small sum available. 



10 The Forest Products Laboratory 

A survey of available and potential facilities at a number of the 
universities was therefore made. An unexpectedly large number of 
universities showed a keen interest, and very generous offers were 
made by several. Finally, the offer of the University of Wisconsin, 
which included the erection of a suitable building and the furnishing 
of heat, light, and power for it, was accepted. Construction started 
in the summer of 1909, and the installation of equipment was begun 
in the fall, shortly after the nucleus of the organization arrived from 
Washington and established temporary quarters. 

At the time of the formal opening, June 4, 1910, the personnel 
consisted of about 45 people, drawn from the various lines of work 
under way elsewhere. Much of the credit for the progress of the lab- 
oratory belongs to the small group of loyal and enthusiastic workers 
comprising the original staff of the laboratory. They are the ones 
who laid down the general plans for the fundamental researches, 
worked out the details of procedure, and designed much of the special 
apparatus and machinery which was required for the preparation of 
the specimens and the carrying out of the tests. These preliminaries 
having been worked out, they proceeded to obtain the groundwork 
of information upon which most of the war work and the majority of 
the later general and special studies were based. 

Growth 

The first years of the laboratory's existence were devoted to the 
task of getting the plant running and obtaining a grasp of funda- 
mentals. No marked increases in appropriations were secured, and 
expansion was comparatively slow. It was possible, however, to 
broaden the scope of the work gradually, and to establish satisfactory 
contact with the principal forest products industries. 

When the United States entered the war in the spring of 1917, 
the laboratory staff numbered eighty-four persons, a mass of funda- 
mental data on the properties of wood had been accumulated and 
good contact with the wood-using industries had been established. 
Thus equipped, the laboratory immediately bent all its efforts to war 
work, recognizing that the wood would play a major part in the con- 
flict. It immediately made its knowledge and facilities available to 
all the other branches of the government which had need of them. An 



A Decennial Recokd 11 

analysis of the entire wood and forest products situation, from the 
standpoint of war needs, was begun at once, and steps were taken to 
secure the vast amount of information which this analysis showed 
would be needed by the War and Navy Departments. 

Contact was established with the various branches of these de- 
partments and others doing war work, and systematic cooperation 
undertaken. Funds were made available by the cooperating depart- 
ments, and the personnel of the laboratory was increased as rapidly 
as men could be trained for the specialized work. This expansion con- 
tinued throughout the war, and on armistice day the force numbered 
458. 

Many of the problems presented to the laboratory were solved 
immediately with the knowledge available. Others were of new and 
specialized character and required the construction of special ma- 
chinery and the making of many special tests. The experience and 
the vision of the older men in the various branches of the work proved 
to be invaluable in the planning and execution of these special investi- 
gations. It is safe to say that a large measure of the usefulness of the 
laboratory during the war would have been lost had these men, instead 
of remaining in the organization, answered the many calls to other 
fields and gone where greater financial reward and personal gain 
would have resulted. 

Many developments of the war, new inventions and new proc- 
esses, chemical and physical, born under the stimulus of war necessity 
and devoted to military use were found after the armistice to be of 
value in peace times industry, either with or without modifications. 

In the poison gas campaign normal time industry profited by 
discoveries that, lacking the stress of national emergency, might not 
have come in vears of development. 

The unbelievable progress in aeronautics in a brief four years, 
at once, upon the cessation of hostilities, was converted to commercial, 
sporting and other transportation, such, for instance, as the mails. 
The same thing happened in many fields, among them forest products 
research. 

During the war, no effort had been made to publish and distribute 
the results of the laboratory's researches, — in fact, a very large per- 
centage of the war work was secret and confidential and did not permit 
of publication. Special effort has since been made by the entire or- 



12 The Forest Products Laboratory 

ganization to disseminate as much of the accumulated information as 
has useful application among the industries. 

The re-establishment of many of the contacts, which were broken 
during the war, was undertaken, and fundamental researches, tem- 
porarily laid aside, were resumed. Plans were perfected for further 
study of several new lines of research undertaken during the war, and 
for rounding out the investigative program of the laboratory. 

Organization 

The laboratory is organized upon a basis intended to yield the 
greatest measure of scientific results with the minimum amount of 
time and energy devoted to the mere mechanics of operation, and the 
routine of the organization is centered almost entirely in separate 
service sections ; so that the research men may be relieved, as much as 
possible, from everything except the planning and execution of re- 
search investigations. This type of organization has proved itself 
very well adapted to research institutions, since, in the final analysis, 
the success of a research institution depends in greater measure, than 
is the case with most organizations, upon the individuals composing 
its staff. Research is most individualistic ; and while it is possible for 
the leaders in the organization to plan and direct the research of the 
various men, the success of each project depends to an unusual degree 
upon the man immediately in charge of it. 

The technical work of the laboratorv is divided among 1 seven 
sections, each of these units devoting its investigations to certain well 
defined fields. In addition to the research sections there are four 
service units carrying on the many functions, such as finance, engi- 
neering, maintenance, personnel details and so forth, essential to the 
smooth working of an organization of the size of the laboratory. In 
these service units is grouped for convenience the office that handles 
the editorial work, and to this office is assigned the responsibility for 
the general dissemination of the results of all the laboratory's re- 
search. Every effort is made to reach the entire wood industrial field 
through a variety of mediums. Coordination of research activities 
is handled through a small subdivision, tributary to the director's 



A Decennial Record 13 

office, acting as a balance wheel or governor to the entire program of 
the research portion of the laboratory. 

To one interested in getting a more intimate grasp of the lab- 
oratory organization scheme a study of the chart on the following page 
will serve better than a descriptive effort. Further, there can be 
gained from this chart a good general idea of the main lines of research 
pursued at the present time (1921 ) . 

Forest Service Products Offices 

A discussion of the organization of the Forest Products Lab- 
oratory would not be complete without mentioning the forest products 
offices in several of the headquarters of the western districts of the 
Forest Service. While not a part of the Madison organization, their 
work is intimately tied in with the laboratory through chiefly furnish- 
ing a close contact with the industries in the several districts. 

The offices of the District Foresters at Missoula, San Francisco 
and Portland are assigned one or more men to handle the work in this 
field that occurs within the states covered by these offices. Reporting 
to the District Forester at Portland there is also a timber testing lab- 
oratory maintained in cooperation with the University of Washing- 
ton, at Seattle, which works on local problems referred to it directly 
or indirectly. 

The personnel of the district products offices offers broader 
outlets, in somewhat remote regions, for the work of the laboratory 
than otherwise would prevail. 

Handling many local problems directly on the ground the field 
men are also enabled to rapidly obtain for the industries information 
or special investigations from the laboratory through interior organi- 
zation channels. To these same offices the laboratory in turn occa- 
sionally refers problems that can be handled better in the field. The 
relationship, in the final analysis, is the logical outcome of the insep- 
arable tie that the development of forest products utilization, repre- 
sented by the laboratory, has to the silvicultural and management 
aspects of national forestry practice in this country. 



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16 The Forest Products Laboratory 



Equipment 

Mr: Howard Weiss, director of the laboratory from 1912 to 1917, 
tells the following story of conditions prior to the establishment of the 
laboratory : 

"At that time I was in the office of Wood Preservation, and 
was in charge of the Section of Research, which consisted of 
myself and the title. Since we had no permanent laboratory, we 
had to move around from place to place with what little equip- 
ment we could gather together. 

"It was about this time that I was sent to the great Southern 
Lumber Company at Bogalusa, La., to show them how to pre- 
serve timber. All I had was two galvanized iron tanks which I 
had had made at a cost of about $20 each." 

From this meager outfit has grown the present thoroughly 
equipped section of wood preservation at the laboratory, with a large 
pressure treating plant handling several dozen ties at a charge, smaller 
pressure cylinders, one of which is capable of injecting preservp+ives 
at a pressure of 600 pounds to the square inch, and much v 
special apparatus permitting carrying on of preservat" T 
according to any commercial or experimental process. 

Handling as it does the glue and laminated wood studies, the 
section of preservation is also suitably equipped with glue mixing and 
spreading machines, hot and cold presses, strength test machines, an 
aircraft propeller manufacturing plant and a series of conditioning 
rooms where temperature and humidity are under control. 

The first efforts at wood testing in this country were strength 
tests on timbers of several species of American woods. In this sense 
one may say that the study of timber mechanics of wood was the lead- 
ing field of research. Today the equipment of this important part 
of the laboratory is especially complete, and most of the equipment 
was designed by the laboratory engineers. 

A timber thirty feet in length is readily accommodated in the 
capacious jaws of the new million-pound testing machine recently 
erected as part of the equipment of the timber mechanics laboratory. 
This same giant of wood breakers will test the strength of horizontal, 
built-up beams, trusses and girders with a length as great as eighty 




ERECTION OF THE MILLION POUND TIMBER TESTING MACHINE (1920) 



18 The Forest Products Laboratory 

feet. While this indicates the maximum capacity of the Forest Prod- 
ucts Laboratory to test timbers and huge built-up members, the equip- 
ment for lesser parts is especially complete. Ten machines capable 
of applying breaking strains of from 10,000 to 200,000 pounds are 
also available. Toughness and impact resistance are measured on 
other machines, while many special tools and rigs are here for special 
tests, including those for testing plywoods. Most of these machines 
are original devices that first saw the light of day in the laboratory 
as need for them arose in the progress of the development of the 
technique of testing wood. 

The box laboratory, a part of the work of timber mechanics, is 
equipped with two tumbling drums, the larger of which can take boxes 
weighing as much as half a ton, and reduce them slowly or quickly to 
a shattered wreck — the quickness of the breaking depending on the 
amount of resistance built into the box by its designers. Here also 
can be measured the ability of a box to stand tension and compression, 
drop tests and similar abuse. 

The drying of wood by almost any conceivable variation of tem- 
perature, humidity and circulation within practical limits is possible 
in the laboratory equipment of six dry kilns of commercial size, all 
closely regulated and entirely automatic and autographic in their 
operation. In addition to the kilns, a conditioning apparatus permits 
fundamental research in the conditioning and treating of wood under 
pressures or gases, and under absolutely controlled factors. This 
apparatus, as well as the kilns and many supplemental devices, was 
designed by laboratory engineers. 

Completely equipped to make wood pulp by any of the commer- 
cial chemical or mechanical processes and convert the pulp into paper 
by cylinder or Fourdrinier process, the pulp and paper section meas- 
ures up to the general standards of equipment existing throughout the 
laboratory. The list of equipment sounds like a combination of several 
paper-making plants, but of course everything is on a laboratory 
rather than on a commercial scale. The main items recognizable by 
the paper manufacturer are a wood chipper, sulphite and soda digesters 
and necessary auxiliaries, grinder, pulp press, wet machine, beaters, 
Jordan and a 22-inch combination cylinder and Fourdrinier paper- 
making machine. Pressers, driers, colenders, etc., complete the list. 
In addition to complete chemical equipment, a constant humidity and 



A Decennial Record 19 

temperature room is maintained for strength tests on the finished 
products. 

The section devoted to derived products, dealing with the many 
phases of the chemistry of wood, carries as its working tools the usual 
chemical laboratory equipment. Much special equipment is used, 
especially instruments for measuring accurately the various physical 
and chemical properties of oils, sugars and solutions. Specialized 
equipment consists of complete semi-commercial plants for produc- 
tion of ethyl alcohol and stock food from sawdust; destructive distil- 
lation of hardwoods and softwoods ; the extraction with volatile solv- 
ents of resinous woods, waste paper products and other materials. 

Pathological work, largely a study of fungi and their effect on 
wood in many fields of use and from many viewpoints, is carried on by 
a cooperating office of the Bureau of Plant Industry. The equipment 
for the work is complete, consisting of all necessary apparatus and 
mediums for studying fungi under various conditions. Included in 
the working equipment are pure culture samples of various wood fungi 
used for comparative studies. 

The enumeration of this sundry physical equipment of the lab- 
oratory is made mainly to outline briefly to the prospective user, the 
man with a wood problem but unacquainted with the laboratory, what 
can be expected in the way of a capacity to handle that problem. The 
enumeration also indicates the growth in the science of wood technol- 
ogy and research in ten years, for it must be remembered that at the 
time of the establishment of the laboratory, an uncharted sea lay be- 
fore the youthful explorer. Much of the complex testing machinery 
in use at the laboratory stands as a marker or buoy in the portion of the 
unknown that has been charted. A vast and unlimited field yet re- 
mains ahead. 

Personnel 

It has been said that an institution is but the lengthened shadow 
of a great man. The laboratory, from its rather composite nature, 
more properly, as it stands today, is the lengthened shadow of many 
men. To its establishment and to its development many men have 
contributed the best that they had to give. The strength of the lab- 
oratory in its own particular field, after the brief lapse of ten years, 



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1912 - 1917 



Carlile P Winslow 

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A Decennial Record 21 

testifies that this best was no mean gift. Recognition of the ability 
of the men who have been associated with the laboratory by indus- 
tries, by technical societies, by great industrial associations and by the 
governments of this and other countries is a part of the record of the 
laboratory that in itself would require much space to tell. 

It has been told elsewhere that the need for the laboratory was 
recognized for many years before its creation actually became a physi- 
cal fact. Of interest are the first steps in forest products research, 
first only a man or two with ideas, then the establishment of small 
scattered units working on big problems with but meager equipment 
and limited means usually nearest the point where the problem ex- 
isted. The realization grew upon some of these pioneers that problems 
of nation-wide interest involving many industries were being most 
inadequately provided for, and little progress being made toward far- 
off goals. The evolution of a new approach toward the desired ends 
marked the important step that is of chief interest in the story of the 
Decennial. Mr. Howard F. Weiss saw the germ of the present lab- 
oratory conceived and described it in an address to members of the 
laboratory several years ago. 

"It was in 1908 that I was brought face to face with the fool- 
ishness of the whole situation. I felt like a very poor repre- 
sentative of the greatest government on earth in thus trying to 
demonstrate the art of preserving timber with a lack of funds for 
effective organization. 

"It was in Washington that I met McGarvey Cline who was 
having similar difficulties although engaged in a somewhat dif- 
ferent line of work. Many an evening we spent discussing pos- 
sible ways of putting into execution the plan of equipping a 
suitable laboratory, with the lack of funds always confronting 
us. Our first ground gained was permission to spend $125 per 
month for renting a building in which we might locate the labora- 
tory. The job fell to me to find a building for this purpose. I 
spent many weeks going from Chevy Chase to Great Falls and 
all through Georgetown, looking up buildings with sufficient floor 
space, and which could be rented at $12.5 per month. I was un- 
able even to get an abandoned car barn for this amount. 

"Then Cline conceived a brilliant idea. It was to secure the 
cooperation of some university. I did not think this was a very 



22 The Forest Products Laboratory 

good move but the more we talked it over, the more I became in 
favor of it. We carried the proposition to Mr. Pinchot, the For- 
ester, who was favorably impressed with the idea and wrote to 
about a dozen universities suggesting the scheme to them. The 
idea met with hearty approval and resulted in establishing the 
Forest Products Laboratory at Madison in cooperation with the 
University of Wisconsin, the University to furnish the building, 
heat, light and power. 

"The credit for this organization belongs to Mr. Cline, as he 
was the one who actually conceived the idea and put it into opera- 
tion. 

"Then came the struggle to equip the place for which we had 
little money. I had $120 alloted to me to equip the section of 
Wood Preservation, in which I was specializing, and it required 
$3,200 to install the machinery which I wanted." 

Under these handicaps the first men of the laboratory laid the 
foundation upon which the present structure has its footing. McGar- 
vey Cline served as the first director of the institution in whose found- 
ing he had such an important hand, leaving in 1912 to enter com- 
mercial life after the work was well established. 

Others who played leading roles in the work of the early days 
when the laboratory was still in the formative state were Mr. William 
L. Hall, who, as Assistant Forester, had administrative charge of the 
laboratory in the days immediately following its inception and 
Dr. W. K. Hatt of the Purdue University faculty, at one time in 
charge of all timber test work for the Forest Service and later acting 
in a consulting capacity on various features of the work, especially in 
timber mechanics. Through the days of the war emergency, Mr, 
Earl H. Clapp was the Assistant Forester in charge of the Branch 
of Research of which the laboratory is a unit. 

Possibly the best measure of the worth of the laboratory is an 
estimate of the practical value of the research results. These have 
been described elsewhere in this volume. The next measure is an esti- 
mate of the caliber of the men that make up its personnel. To a de- 
gree, the two are naturally inseparably related. The record of the 
requests made by wood using industries and other points of laboratory 
contact, for laboratory men to transfer their allegiance to these other 
fields speaks well for the ability of the men who have served here. A 



A Decennial Record 23 

list of such men who have left the technical staff of the laboratory for 
other fields is given in the appendix to this volume. 



CHAPTER IV 
TEX YEARS OF RESEARCH IN FOREST PRODUCTS 



The decade following the founding of the Forest Products Lab- 
oratory in 1910 is marked by a convulsive upheaval, — economic, so- 
cial and political, — unsurpassed in modern history. In the United 
States, at least, the ten-year period is now commonly divided into the 
eras "the pre-war years", "during the war", and "the post-war 
period". The latter is, of course, only begun, but a definite readjust- 
ment and new alignment of economic forces is already in the making. 

So in discussing the laboratory development, and particularly the 
field of its accomplishments, the descriptive effort naturally falls into 
the cycles : pre-war six years, war period of two years, and the read- 
justment or post-war period of two years. The first two are here 
treated in some detail; the latter period and its outstanding features 
has already been discussed. 

Pre-war Research 

The early work of the laboratory was largely fundamental in 
character, and was, in many instances, a continuation of investigations 
which had been under way at one or more of the various smaller lab- 
oratories which were discontinued when the Forest Products Labora- 
tory was organized. In fact, full credit for some of the accomplish- 
ments described in this chapter belongs to the pioneers of those early 
days, who struggled along in the dark with practically no funda- 
mental knowledge of the properties of wood to guide them. 




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A Decexnial Record 2.5 

In the Mechanics of Timber 

While no attempt has been made to arrange the various subjects 
in order of size or importance, it seems natural and logical to give first 
mention to the basic study of the properties of American woods. This 
is, without doubt, the most important series of tests ever conducted on 
American species, not only in actual size, but also in importance of 
results secured. Over 200,000 strength tests and about the same num- 
ber of specific gravity and moisture determinations, in all well over 
half a million individual tests, have been made, covering every com- 
mercial species in the country and many of only minor importance. 
The tests were made on specimens cut from typical trees and were so 
planned and executed that proper analysis of the results has yielded, 
besides actual and comparative strength values of green and air-dry 
wood of the various species, much additional information of funda- 
mental character, such as the relation of strength to weight, of strength 
to the height in the tree, the effect of distance from the pith upon the 
strength properties, and the relation between strength and rate of 
growth. 

The test data are frequently used for special studies, being re- 
grouped and analyzed to bring out whatever unusual property or 
relation of properties may be desired. They form the starting point, 
also, for much of the experimental work upon structural material and 
parts of structures, such as aircraft parts. 

Work of previous experimenters has shown that the amount of 
moisture present in the wood had a very marked effect upon its 
strength, and efforts had been made to deduce the laws underlying 
this relation. It remained for the timber testing laboratory at Yale 
to plan and carry out a series of tests which not only yielded specific 
data on the moisture-strength relation for several species, but also 
proved the existence of a definite point, now called the "fiber-satura- 
tion point", beyond which the amount of moisture did not affect either 
strength or shrinkage. This basic information is in constant use in 
all of the studies of the mechanical and physical properties of wood. 

The requirements for grading rules for structural timbers differ 
from those for rough and worked lumber since strength is a very im- 
portant consideration in structural timber, and it is highly desirable 
that this class of material be graded on the basis of strength, so that the 



26 The Forest Products Laboratory 

"better" grades will be uniformly stronger than the poorer ones. This 
allows higher fiber stresses and consequently more efficient use, since 
allowance does not have to be made for the occasional weak piece which 
slips in under grading rules patterned after lumber grading rules. 
The laboratory has studied and analyzed the effect of defects and 
physical properties upon the strength of structural material, and has 
drawn up grading rules for the two principal structural timber spe- 
cies. These rules have been adopted by the associations concerned and 
are now in everyday use. Tables of allowable fiber stresses under 
various conditions of service to be used with these rules, have also been 
drawn up. So far as known, this is the first successful attempt on a 
commercial scale to grade structural timber on a basis of strength. 

Efficient design of any article requiring strength demands not 
only that sufficient strength be present, but also that this strength be 
secured at a minimum expenditure of material. To balance the con- 
struction by the elimination of surplus material is frequently more 
difficult than simply to strengthen an admittedly weak part by the 
addition of more material. Through a series of tests upon white oak 
barrels, in which the barrels were subjected to various kinds of tests, 
such as internal pressure tests and drop tests, the laboratory deter- 
mined the proper relation among stave thickness, head thickness and 
hoop spacing to yield the best service with the smallest amount of 
material. New types of barrels, based upon the results of these tests, 
have been approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission. Just 
as in the design of barrels, so also with boxes, crates, and other types 
of shipping containers, one of the most important design problems is 
to secure a "balanced construction" affording greatest strength at 
least cost. The proper selection of the species or kind of wood for 
various uses is also very important. 

The laboratory has perfected a box testing drum giving consistent 
results which indicate the value of any type of construction for the 
shipment of goods and has developed various standard types of box 
constructions which have been adopted by the associations of manu- 
facturers and of users of boxes. It has also investigated and tested 
the relative value of many woods for box making and divided them 
into four groups on this basis, the woods in each group to be used inter- 
changeably. This work represents the greatest single step forward 




BOX TESTING IN THE BIG TUMBLING DRUM— A LABORATORY DEVICE FOR 
QUICKLY DETERMINING BOX OR CRATE WEAKNESSES 



28 The Forest Products Laboratory 

in box design and proper selection of box species which has so far been 
taken. 

Typical of various studies is the one made on hickory. A large 
number of tests on spokes and other vehicle parts showed definitely 
that "red" hickory was not inferior to "white" hickory in its mechani- 
cal properties, and that grading rules discriminating against it on 
account of color were basically unsound. Tests on larger vehicle parts 
such as axles, bolsters, and poles brought out the relative merits of 
hickory and various substitute woods which the ever-increasing short- 
age of hickory has forced into use. 

The relative strength of various species of wood when used as 
telephone or other electric poles has been determined through actual 
strength tests of a number of poles, simulating as nearly as possible 
actual conditions in service. Several series of tests have also been 
made upon cross arms of various sizes and species, to determine the 
strength and proper design. 

For many years, timber cut from southern pine trees which had 
been "bled" or turpentined was considered inferior on that account 
and suffered discrimination. Strength tests made upon "bled" and 
"unbled" wood showed that the turpentining had not injured the wood, 
and enabled this material to assume its proper commercial value. 

In the Preservative Treatment of Woods 

The preservation of structural timbers against decay has long 
been recognized as very desirable, particularly from the economic 
standpoint, and the treatment of this class of material is growing. 
There has, however, been considerable confusion concerning the effect 
of the treatment upon the strength of the material. This has naturally 
tended to retard the progress of the art. The laboratory has conducted 
a series of tests upon various species of wood, treated and untreated, 
and has shown just how much each kind of treatment has affected the 
strength. This led to improvement in processes which were injurious 
and to greater confidence in the strength of treated timber, besides 
furnishing data to be used in the design of structures of treated timber. 

Wooden piling and other wooden structures placed in salt water, 
especially in southern waters, suffer severely from the attacks of ma- 
rine borers of various kinds, and the annual loss from this one cause 



A Decennial Record 29 



alone is tremendous. Preservation with creosote has been practiced 
for mam- years, but not always with success. The laboratory has 
made extensive studies on the resistance of various tars and creosotes 
and their fractions to marine borer attack, and has collected numerous 
service records. The problem is by no means solved, however, and 
many related factors such as temperature and salinity of water, avail- 
able food supply and other biological aspects of the question need fur- 
ther study and correlation. A great deal of study must also be made 
upon the various constituents of creosote and their relative effective- 
ness. 

The discoloration of the sapwood, principally of pine, which is 
commonly known as "sap stain", is considered a defect in most grades 
of finishing lumber, and causes much loss from degrade. Various 
improvements in chemical dipping to prevent sap stain have been 
developed at the laboratory, and experiments have been made show- 
ing that proper kiln drying will obviate the staining. 

An objection frequently raised against creosoted wood block 
pavements is that the creosote oozes from them in warm weather, pro- 
ducing a very disagreeable and dangerous surface. After a study of 
the various factors involved and the making of a number of experi- 
mental preservation runs on wood blocks, a method was evolved 
whereby the observation of certain precautions in the process resulted 
in reducing to a minimum the objectionable "bleeding" common up to 
that time. In the drawing of specifications adopted by the American 
Wood Preservers' Association and the American Society for Munici- 
pal Improvements, for the treatment and laying of wood blocks in 
pavements, the laboratory played a prominent part. 

Knowledge of the toxicity and preservative value of different 
kinds of preservatives, both proprietary and otherwise, is fundament- 
ally necessary, so that the good ones may be developed and the poor 
ehminated. The laboratory has made tests on and analyzed practi- 
cally all the important preservatives which have been on the market 
since its inception. 

Fundamental information concerning the relative ease of treat- 
ment with preservatives has been obtained for all of the woods ordi- 
narily treated in this country. An important commercial application 
of this information lies in the grouping of woods for treatment. 



A Decennial Record 31 



A subject of tremendous importance, upon which comparatively 
little work has been done so far is the fireproofing of wood through 
painting or the injection of chemicals. The laboratory has developed 
apparatus for the measurement of the inflammability of either natural 
or "flreproofed" wood and has studied the relative inflammability of 
untreated wood of many species and of specimens treated with vari- 
ous kinds of fireproofing agents. The relative value of several 
methods of fireproofing has been studied and a fireproofing paint de- 
veloped. 

The final test of any wood-preserving process or material lies in 
the results which it yields in actual service; no laboratory test can 
simulate the widely varying conditions encountered in use with suf- 
ficient accuracy. Therefore, a large number of experimental tests of 
treated timber have been placed throughout the country, principally 
in cooperation with large consumers of timber. There are tests of 
treated ties, poles, fence posts, mine timbers, wood block pavements, 
and piling timbers, some of which have been in place for about 15 
years. Various treatments and various species of wood were used in 
each case, and complete records of treatment and periodical inspection 
kept. These records form the best available measure of the value of 
various preservatives and preserving processes under ordinary service 
conditions. 

The study and analysis of wood preservatives has been a major 
project since the inception of the laboratory. Especial attention has 
been given to the analysis and grading of coal-tar and water-gas-tar 
creosote, and a number of refinements have been made in the art. This 
work has had commercial application not only in the improvement of 
specifications for preservatives, but also in the modification of the 
technique of plant operation. 

In Kiln Drying and the Physical Properties of Wood 

The artificial seasoning of wood, commonly called "kiln drying", 
has been practiced by rule-of-thumb methods to a large degree for 
many years ; and in any event it was a commercial practice only with 
comparatively easy drying conditions, since little progress had been 
made in handling successfully the drying of species and sizes of mate- 
rials which did not readily respond to the generally unscientific proc- 



32 The Forest Products Laboratory 

esses in vogue. Recognizing that, after all, any failures to succeed 
with the more difficult conditions imposed by the demands of industry 
for wider application of kiln drying, were simply attributable to a 
lack of fundamental knowledge of the physical properties of the wood 
to be dried, the laboratory from the beginning made kiln drying one 
of the leading studies. The study centered on the physics of timber 
and, as a natural auxiliary, a study and consequent development of 
apparatus to perform the drying operation. 

The outstanding features of kiln drying as developed in the past 
ten years at the laboratory are : first, absolute control of moisture and 
temperature conditions in the entire kiln or any part of it at any stage 
of the drying ; second, an exact knowledge of physical changes taking 
place in the lumber in the kiln throughout the run; and third, the per- 
fection of means of diagnosing these changes and applying any cor- 
rective measures necessary in case adverse conditions develop. 

The natural result of these ten years of study has been a notable 
contribution to the knowledge of timber physics, the invention and 
development of several types of kilns and auxiliary apparatus that 
have been quite widely adopted in the fields of kiln drying where they 
are especially suited, the extension of kiln drying with its economic 
advantages to new fields and the elimination of much loss that had 
been taken mistakenly for granted in kiln drying practice. 

Schedules for proper drying with practically no loss from de- 
grade, have been developed for many species and sizes of material 
from dimension oak to smaller sizes of pine. As to the kilns, the water 
spray and superheated steam types are largely of laboratory develop- 
ment, and they have received the main attention considering the ob- 
jectives in mind. 

Fundamental data on the structure of wood, as revealed under 
the microscope, serve as foundation for many laboratory studies, and 
for the identification of wood as to species through examination of the 
wood itself rather than by a study of the botanical characteristics of 
the tree. Authentic specimens of most of the trees native to this 
country have been collected, and microscopic slides made showing 
radial, tangential, and cross sections. These have been studied and 
analyzed and a key constructed, by which it is possible to distinguish 
most commercial species. This key and the slides are in constant use 
in the identification of samples of wood submitted by organizations 



A Decennial Record 33 

and individuals outside of- the laboratory, as well as for routine identi- 
fication within the organization. 

In the Use of Wood for Pulp and Paper 

One of the most comprehensive investigations completed by the 
laboratory is the one on the grinding of wood for mechanical pulp, 
which was conducted in a fu]l size experimental ground-wood mill 
especially constructed for the purpose at Wausau, Wisconsin. 

This study brought out the fundamental principles underlying 
the grinding process and the effect of certain variables such as press- 
ure, speed and quality of grinding surface upon the quality and 
amount of pulp. The effect of preliminary steaming of the wood upon 
the pulp was determined for a number of species, and the suitability 
for mechanical pulp of a large number of American woods was deter- 
mined. In fact, experiments were carried out on all species which 
seemed to have any possibilities whatever; it being the intention to 
make the study so nearly complete that no further work would have 
to be done upon grinding for many years to come. 

Studies of similar breadth and scope have been under way for 
many years in the production of chemical pulps from American woods. 
Two principal objects have been aimed at, viz., to determine the funda- 
mental cooking or pulping conditions underlying each of the three 
principal chemical processes (sulphite, sulphate and soda), and to 
determine the suitability of the individual species for the production 
of pulp by the process or processes to which it is adapted. These 
studies were not quite completed when war activities made it necessary 
to abandon them for the time being. They have since, however, been 
finished and the results made available. 

Most paper is bought and sold upon specification, and the speci- 
fication usually has some provision concerning the physical properties. 
Methods of determining these properties have been very unsatisfac- 
tory, however, and knowledge concerning the subject lacking. A 
special testing room in which the atmospheric conditions can be kept 
constant, has been constructed and series of tests made to develop the 
inter-relationship among the various physical properties and to im- 
prove methods of test. The effect of atmospheric moisture upon the 
strength of paper has been determined, and several new methods of 
test perfected. 



34 The Forest Products Laboratory 

In connection with the investigations into the fundamentals of 
the chemical pulping processes, attention has been directed to the im- 
provement of the processes in their various details. Typical of the 
improvements worked out is the impregnation of the chips with cook- 
ing liquor before starting the cook. This is applicable to the sulphate 
and soda processes and produces more uniform cooking and increased 
yields of pulp, at the same time reducing the cooking period and the 
steam consumption. The commercial trials of this improvement were 
successfully completed shortly before the declaration of war. 

There are many problems in the specialty fields which could be 
solved if time and funds were available. On some of these the labora- 
tory has worked as occasion arose. In connection with the utilization 
of waste hemlock bark from pulpwood, a new use for spent tanbark 
presented itself, and experiments were undertaken to determine its 
commercial value. 

As a direct result of this work, a number of companies began the 
use of a certain percentage of spent tanbark in the manufacture of 
roofing felts, in place of cotton rag stock. This produced a new market 
and exercised a stabilizing effect upon the cotton rag market, which 
had begun to skyrocket. 

In the Derived Products of Wood 

The hardwood distillation industry is one of the older wood- 
utilizing industries, and has gradually developed to its present state 
largely without the aid of organized research. The laboratory under- 
took a series of experiments to determine the fundamentals of the 
process and found that proper control of the temperature in the re- 
torts during distillation produced decided increases in the yield of 
valuable products without increasing the time required. This im- 
provement has been rapidly adopted by the industry. 

Beech, birch, and maple have always been considered the standard 
woods for distillation, and only a very small percentage of other woods 
was used. As part of its distillation studies, the laboratory deter- 
mined the value of a number of other hardwoods such as oaks and 
chestnut, and demonstrated that the yields from several were sufficient 
to warrant commercial exploitation. Several plants have recently 
been erected to distill these substitute woods exclusively. 



A Decennial Record 35 

A number of demonstration experiments have been made in 
cooperation with the Bureau of Mines to show the value of certain 
tars and oils, products of both hardwood and softwood distillation, as 
agents in the flotation process of ore separation. Several of these 
distillation products have proved themselves well adapted for this 
purpose, and have assumed definite commercial value, instead of being 
merely waste by-products. 

Certain perculiar properties of wood turpentine, not possessed by 
gum turpentine, created a prejudice against it and retarded its sale. 
The laboratory made a very complete study of wood turpentine, in- 
cluding methods of analysis, methods of refining, chemical composi- 
tion, and commercial value, and through this study assisted in obtain- 
ing proper markets for it. 

To assist in the development of efficient utilization of softwood 
sawdust and similar waste wood, the laboratory has carried out de- 
tailed fundamental efficiency studies on the process for obtaining 
ethyl alcohol from wood. These studies have determined the best 
operating conditions and the amounts of alcohol which can be obtained 
from various species of wood. Special research in the fermentation 
of the sugars — one step in the process — has resulted in a decided in- 
crease in the yields of alcohol commercially produced. 

In this same connection, investigations have been carried out on 
the fermentation procedures for the fermentation of sugars contained 
in waste sulphite liquors. This waste is produced in vast quantities 
in sulphite process pulp plants of the country, and the investigations 
established a means of increasing the yields of ethyl (grain) alcohol 
obtainable from the waste material. 

Basic underlying data on the chemical composition of wood and 
on the effect of varying chemical composition on the physical and me- 
chanical properties have been entirely lacking; methods for making 
the chemical analysis have not even been completely developed. The 
laboratory has made a fair start on this work, and has made progress 
in the refinement of methods of analysis. The analysis of several 
species of wood has been completed. 

Conclusion 

This, in brief, outlines the major fields of work done by the 
laboratory during the first years of its existence. The formative 




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A Decennial Record 37 

period can definitely be said to have been passed. The work in wood 
products research had been clearly denned and many plainly blazed 
trails had been opened through this little traveled field by the time 
the world war assumed for the United States a more critical aspect. 
Before the war was over, these trails were widened to broad highways 
over which traveled many agencies and interests that sought the help 
of this institution in solving problems vital to the welfare of nations. 

War Work 

The declaration of war on April 6, 1917, found the laboratory 
with a fund of basic information on wood and wood products, well- 
developed apparatus and equipment for research and a small but 
well-organized staff numbering among its members men with nation- 
wide reputations in their individual lines of research. Better still, the 
personnel, largely composed of those who had seen the birth of the 
laboratory or helped in its early growth, was possessed of a sense of 
partnership in true pioneer work, and of a spirit that stands out as one 
of the real assets of the institution in the time of stress that marked 
the opening of the war. It was this spirit that contributed largely to 
whatever measure of success may have been achieved later, for it kept 
the force largely intact despite the material gain or increase in per- 
sonal prestige that awaited in so many other fields, military or civilian, 
at that time. Without this loyal nucleus the usefulness of the labora- 
tory to many war agencies would have been much limited. 

The entire energy of the whole organization was at once devoted 
to the most efficient use of its knowledge and facilities in the prosecu- 
tion of the war. A careful survey immediately showed that the labora- 
tory's help would be needed in the solution of a great many problems 
confronting these departments. A general list of problems was drawn 
up, and steps taken to get into contact with the proper agencies and to 
start the various researches which were plainly needed. 

This survey of forest products needs in relation to national 
defense served to bring out with startling clearness the vast impor- 
tance of wood and other forest products in warfare. Wood in the 
form of lumber, timber, ties, posts, poles, piling, etc., must be supplied 
for uses similar to those prevailing during times of peace, such as for 
buildings (barracks-cantonments), railroads, bridges, telephone and 



38 The Forest Products Laboratory 

telegraph lines, docks, ships, boxes and crates, furniture, fuel, and a 
multitude of other uses normally associated with modern commerce 
and industry. 

Then there were the multitudinous special war uses of wood in 
the building of airplanes, trucks, artillery wheels, and escort wagons, 
as well as for gunstocks, handles of trench tools, mortar boxes, and 
posts for entanglements, to mention but a few. In the building of 
trenches, essentially a mining operation, there were required in the last 
war millions of feet of lumber to mantain these works and make them 
habitable. For most of these uses experience has found no other mate- 
rial to substitute for wood. 

In war time the demand for wood pulp jumps tremendously, 
largely through the increased demand for paper. For instance, in 
France, despite the suspension of many journals the number of copies 
of papers issued daily jumped 100 per cent over peace times. Wood 
pulp, in the emergency, in the blockaded central European countries 
assumed vast importance in the manufacture of explosives, as a sub- 
stitute in surgery for absorbent cotton dressings, in the making of 
textiles and clothing. As one German editor expressed it fervently, 
"To be without wood is almost as bad as being without bread." 

The chemical aspects of the wood situation likewise play a tre- 
mendously important part in the game of the nations — distillation 
products, for instance, — methyl alcohol and its important part in the 
making of medicines and disinfectants, in the manufacture of dyes 
and other products; acetic acid; the turpentines and resins. These 
need merely be named to conjure up the impossibility of carrying on 
important functions connected with modern warfare lacking ample 
supplies of these products derived from wood. 

Personnel and Financial Situation 

In addition to establishing contact with the various war agencies 
and getting under way the most urgent researches, plans were imme- 
diately undertaken for the expansion of the organization to meet the 
greatly increased demands which it was evident would be made upon 
it, and for providing the necessary funds and the additional labora- 
tory space. 

The demand for the facilities of the laboratory at once raised a 
critical financial situation that needed solution before expansion could 



A Decennial Record 



39 



be authorized. While the very limited appropriation for the regular 
staff could be devoted to war time work, the amount was fixed. Rec- 
ognition of the situation by the Forest Service resulted in transferring 
small amounts of money created by adjustment of work in other fields 
and also in the sending of experienced personnel to assist in the en- 
larged program. Despite these adjustments, but little progress could 
have been made without the allotment of funds from the various co- 
operating bureaus in the Army and Navy departments. From these 
sources came the bulk of the funds used for carrying on the important 
war program. Additional space, as needed, was made available 
through the patriotic cooperation of the University of Wisconsin, a 
number of whose buildings, in whole or part, were vacated and turned 
over to the laboratory during the period of the war. 




PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENTS AT THE LABORATORY— JULY 1917 TO JULY 1920 



Of the many difficulties encountered in carrying on the necessary 
work, the matter of personnel was ever present. The dearth of prop- 
erly trained men who could be secured at the comparatively low sal- 
aries which the laboratory was able to pay was always most acute, and 
was largely responsible for many irksome delays in expanding the 
organization. This expansion went forward, however, at a reasonable 



40 The Forest Products Laboratory 

rate, and on armistice day the entire force numbered 458 persons. 
After that time, the personnel was gradually reduced, and much of the 
emergency work dropped. However, certain of the projects, espe- 
cially those of importance in peace-time developments, have been 
continued, support for them being largely furnished by the cooperat- 
ing bureaus. The war expansion and the relative personnel situation 
today and in 1917, prior to the sudden growth of the laboratory, can 
be seen at a glance in the diagram on page 39. 

Kiln Drying of Aircraft Woods 

In presenting the accomplishments of the laboratory during the 
war period, it will be necessary to include a certain amount of back- 
ground, so that each research may be properly oriented and fitted into 
the general plan of national defense. The very essence of this work 
was the necessity for the development of unprecedented supplies of 
spruce for aircraft production and research. The demands of the 
allied nations for aircraft materials in the years preceding the entry 
of the United States into the war had practically cleaned up the avail- 
able supply of air-dry spruce in the country and in addition, the pro- 
duction of green spruce was entirely inadequate; though even had it 
been sufficient, the delay incident to air drying would have been pro- 
hibitive. The only alternative was kiln drying. Utilizing the available 
knowledge possessed by the laboratory in this field, the proper authori- 
ties were convinced of the practicability of kiln drying material green 
from the saw to a condition equal to or better than air-dried stock. 
The preparation of kiln-drying specifications covering the principal 
aircraft woods followed and they were almost immediately approved 
by the Signal Corps and became the standard for both Army and 
Navy. 

Under these specifications it was possible to dry three-inch green 
spruce planks in 21 days, ordinary air seasoning taking from six 
months to a year, depending upon climatic conditions. Batteries of 
suitable kilns were erected by the Army and Navy for the drying of 
aircraft woods, the largest of these being at Vaucouver Barracks, 
Washington. In the erection and operation of this large drying plant 
considerable technical advice and assistance was rendered by the lab- 
oratory. Several aircraft manufacturers also installed similar kilns 



jf 



A Decexnial Record 41 

or kilns based on laboratory ideas with modifications to suit particular 
conditions in their product. 

The drying schedules embodied in this specification were consid- 
ered perfectly practical and safe from the standpoint of the strength 
of the wood; however, it seemed desirable, especially in the case of 
various woods which were being considered as substitutes for spruce 
and for mahogany and walnut (for propellers), to secure additional 
data on the effect of various drying schedules, including those specified, 
upon the mechanical properties of the wood. These data were in- 
tended to determine the limits, as to drying schedules, which could 
not be exceeded with safety, it being advantageous, of course, to dry 
the stock as rapidly as permissible. Therefore, a comprehensive pro- 
gram of drying and testing was initiated. Thousands of strength tests 
were made upon carefully matched specimens, green, air-dried, and 
kiln-dried, and the effect of the drying upon the strength determined 
by analysis of the data. 

Work on Design of Aircraft Parts 

There was immediate demand for accurate strength figures for 
woods used in aircraft design, and it was possible to supply much of 
this information from data on hand. A study of the data available 
on most American species resulted in the approval in specifications 
of suitable substitute species for woods commonly used in airplane 
manufacture. The list of approved substitute woods issued by the 
Bureau of Aircraft Production was based upon the results of these 
studies. 

Designs and specifications for airplane wing beams presented 
many perplexing problems: to secure reasonable quantities of per- 
fect beams, each machined out of a single piece of wood, was quite 
impossible. It became necessary, therefore, to devise ways and means 
for the production of satisfactory beams from defective material. Two 
general lines of attack were followed, namely, ( 1 ) a study of defects 
and (2) the development of built-up beams. 

Much attention had been given to defects and their effect on 
strength prior to the war, but further study of earlier results coupled 
with some additional tests gave complete data on the relation of pitch 
pockets, knots, cross grain and spiral grain to the strength of a given 



42 The Forest Products Laboratory 

piece. The result was the issuance of specifications which described 
the kind, size and location of defects permissible, This specification 
immediately made available many beams which had already been re- 
jected, and increased greatly the yield of acceptable beams. 

Active investigation into the relative merits of various types of 
built-up airplane wing beams was undertaken early in the spring of 
1918 at the urgent request of the Bureau of Aircraft Production. The 
need for such investigations had been apparent for a long time, and 
fairly thorough knowledge of the history of the use of the various 
types had been secured ; but lack of ability to organize for this work 
in addition to that already under way had prevented progress in the 
study. Clearing of the way for this work resulted in the evolution 
of a satisfactory beam as the result of an intensive test and study of 
300 beams comprising that number of individual variations of ten 
main types of construction. Subsequent tests developed the best 
types of splices for flanges and webs, and detailed data was secured 
concerning the behavior of individual woods with different types of 
glue used in making built-up beams. 

The possibility of improvements in design, especially in the larger 
beams, became evident; further, the matter of "form factors" to be 
applied to beams of various forms in making strength calculations 
assumed importance because cross section has an important bearing 
on specific strength. Consequently, tests on built-up beams have been 
continued since the armistice and several noteworthy improvements 
brought out. 

As the engineers in charge became more familiar with aircraft 
design and construction, they saw more and more details which needed 
improvement. Among those aircraft parts which seemed to suffer 
most from poor design were the wing ribs, not only of the training 
planes, but also of the fighters. Almost the first test made showed 
that improvements were possible, and a group of men was given the 
task of designing, building and testing wing ribs. A standard type 
for small and medium ribs was evolved and ribs of this type were 
developed for a number of Army and Navy planes. So far as known, 
the new type was an improvement over all existing types. Later 
several very efficient truss types were developed for larger planes. 

Interplane struts, both solid and hollow, though designed on the 
basis of formulae which had been checked experimentally, were in- 



A Decennial Record 43 

spected and selected in a manner which did not seem to insure accept- 
ance of all suitable struts and the rejection of all unsuitable ones. 
Further, there arose numerous questions concerning the actual 
strength of certain struts and fittings. A rather extensive series of 
strut tests was therefore undertaken to answer these questions and 
various others which arose from time to time concerning special types 
of struts. These tests showed definitely that methods of inspection 
could be improved materially and that certain special types of strut 
were not satisfactory. A non-injurious method of test or inspection 
was devised, and later adopted by the Army, whereby the actual maxi- 
mum load which each strut can bear is determined. Several note- 
worthy types of large built-up struts were developed for the big 
flying boats being designed by the Navy. 

The improvements in design resulting from the experimental 
development of beams, ribs and struts made evident the desirability 
of similar work on other air craft parts. Tests were undertaken as 
opportunity offered, on various special details which were giving 
trouble, and in several cases the development of new principles of 
construction was carried out. In most instances these centered about 
the use of plywood. Shortly after our entrance into the war, a very 
elaborate investigation into the mechanical properties of plywood had 
been initiated, since there was no information available upon this 
subject and its importance in connection with aircraft design was 
evident. As this investigation proceeded, the possibilities in the 
structural use of this material became greater and greater, and the 
new knowledge was applied as quickly as possible. Mention has 
already been made of the new type of wing rib, a large part of the 
success of which depends upon the efficient use of plywood webs. 
Much of the progress made in wing beam design likewise was due to 
the application of the new data to the design of these important parts. 

Several large elevator spars were designed for Navy flying boats, 
and in the progress of the test an entirely new type of construction 
was perfected. The use of spirally or diagonally wound veneer over 
the core provided very high resistance to torsional stresses with ex- 
tremely low weight. The net result was a very strong and stiff spar 
with the minimum weight. 

A new engine bearer was designed for the De Haviland plane. 
This bearer is of plywood about an inch thick, cut out of the solid sheet 




LAMINATED CONSTRUCTION AS APPLIED TO WOODEN ARTICLES OF COMMERCE 
Wagon Bolster Hat Blocks Baseball Bats Shoe Lasts 



A Decexxial Record 45 

and lightened as much as possible through the use of lightening holes. 
The proper selection of species and thicknesses of piles resulted in an 
appreciable increase of strength without increase in weight. Similar 
parts were designed for several Navy planes. 

Much attention was devoted to the use of thin plywood as a wing 
covering and a number of tests were made in the hope of developing a 
satisfactory linen substitute. Several types of construction were tried 
out, and interesting preliminary results secured. Xo covering or type 
of construction was perfected, however, which was superior to the 
standard wood and linen type. 

Development of Water-resistant Glues 

Closely associated with most of the aircraft problems upon which 
the laboratory worked was the all-important one of glues and gluing. 
A great deal of reliance is placed upon glue in the construction of the 
ordinary plane, since many of the structural parts are glued together, 
and it is essential that only the best glues and best gluing technique 
be employed. The first request for help came from the Signal Corps 
in the spring of 1917, asking for assistance in hide glue inspection. 
Xo standard, usable system of grading and inspection was available, 
but one was quickly developed at the laboratory by an inspector as- 
signed to the work, and all hide glue used by the Army Air Service 
as well as much of that used by the Xavy Air Service was inspected 
and certified by him and his assistants. 

Attention was then directed to the great desirability of using 
water-resistant glue in aircraft construction, not alone on account of 
exposure to the weather when in service, but also because of the severe 
conditions during shipment and storage. It had been known for many 
years that so-called "water-proof" glues could be made from blood 
albumin and from casein, and various secret formulas had been devel- 
oped and were in use to a certain extent. In fact, it is well established 
that the enemy was using casein glue in his aircraft before our entrance 
into the war. In this country there were several small manufacturers 
of "waterproof" plywood glued with blood albumin. However, there 
was not available for general use an appreciable amount of a suitable 
water-resistant glue, for either plywood or joint work. Therefore, 
the perfection of several types of water-resistant glues was immedi- 




GLUE SPREADING MACHINE — A STEP IN THE MAKING OF PLYWOOD 



A Decennial Record 47 

ately undertaken. A special staff of chemists and assistants was 
gathered together, and the necessary equipment installed. This virtu- 
ally marks the laboratory's entrance into glue research. 

Within a reasonable time, high class glues of both types, blood 
albumin and casein, had been worked out and made available to the 
Bureau of Aircraft Production. Regular inspection and test of sam- 
ples of plywood glued at various plants had been established early in 
the study and was maintained as an aid to the manufacturers in mak- 
ing a satisfactory product. Assistance was rendered them, also, by 
trips of inspection and study at the individual plants. In addition to 
the glues already mentioned, a special kind of blood albumin glue 
tissue was invented. This is particularly adapted to the gluing of very 
thin plywood, such as that used in the experiments on plywood wing 
covering. In connection with the glue work, special studies of the 
supplies and quality of the raw materials entering into their manufac- 
ture were undertaken. Through these, adequate quantities of suitable 
material became assured. 

Propeller Work 

The effect of moisture upon the properties of wood was well 
known, and it was generally accepted that the planes and their parts 
should be manufactured at the moisture content which they would 
assume in service. There were already in existence certain data show- 
ing the relation between atmospheric humidity and the moisture in 
wood, but these were not considered sufficient in view of the import- 
ance of the matter. Therefore, several series of accelerated tests were 
made, the results permitting the determining in advance of moisture 
content that will be reached by any species under given atmospheric 
conditions. 

Closely correlated with this study was an entirely dissimilar one, 
planned to prevent change in the moisture content of propellers espe- 
cially during storage under humidity conditions different from those 
of manufacture or use. This investigation concerned itself princi- 
pally with the various kinds of wood finishes and treatments with sub- 
stances known, to be water-resistant. Tests on many commercial 
paints and varnishes showed that none of these were sufficiently re- 
sistant to the passage of moisture through them, and there resulted 



48 The Forest Products Laboratory 

a search for a new and satisfactory coating. Thus was brought about 
the invention and perfection of the aluminum leaf coating, which is 
practically impervious to moisture so long as it remains intact. 

The change in the moisture content of propellers due to atmos- 
pheric conditions, with the consequent warping, twisting, and unbal- 
ancing of the blades was only one of many troubles experienced in the 
manufacture and use of aircraft propellers. The results were, how- 
ever, much the same. There are many variables entering into the 
manufacture of propellers, such as differences in weight, shrinkage 
and moisture among the various laminations, and to separate all of 
these variables and their effects upon the finished propeller required 
a very elaborate and costly series of tests on full sized propellers of 
various species. The species entering into this study were: Central 
American, African and Philippine mahoganies, white oak, red oak, 
hard maple, yellow birch, yellow poplar and red gum. A complete 
propeller manufacturing shop and a number of storage rooms were 
erected, all provided with automatic temperature and humidity con- 
trol. Lumber of the different species was kiln dried at the laboratory, 
and the task of making up several hundred propellers, each in accord- 
ance with a definite plan, was got under way. These propellers were 
subjected to various atmospheric conditions ranging from very moist 
to very dry, and the changes in them carefully measured at stated in- 
tervals. This project was not finished during the war, but is now 
nearing completion. The results are already quite evident, and 
shortly the desired specifications for manufacturing limits and con- 
trol will be drawn up in correct and final form. 

Many small but important problems in connection with the air- 
craft program were solved, and much miscellaneous help given, prin- 
cipally through numerous field trips by the technical staff. Permanent 
record of this service, and of the results* of the major studies as well, 
is found largely in the specifications of the army and navy aircraft 
bureaus. 

Kiln Drying of Heavy Woods 

The sudden increase in the demand for vehicle stock brought 
about by the need for tremendous quantities of army escort wagons, 
automobile trucks, and artillery wheels almost immediately exhausted 



A Decennial Record 49 

the comparatively small supply of dry stock available, and left the 
alternatives of either using green stock or resorting to artificial dry- 
ing. The former was of course out of the question and many were 
convinced that the latter also was not feasible. The shortage of 
northern-grown oak complicated the matter still more since the 
southern oaks are admittedly much more difficult to dry, and the sea- 
soning losses, even with the most careful air drying, are very large. 
The problem here was to get the wood dry, even if considerable de- 
grade occurred, the development of the last ounce of strength being 
out of the question and not essential. In this it differed, of course, 
from the aircraft wood-drying problem. 

The laboratory's experience in the experimental drying of vehicle 
stock and in the design and operation of kilns indicated clearly that 
successful drying of this class of stock would require very careful con- 
trol of kiln conditions — an accuracy of control which could not be 
secured in kilns of the common ventilated types, even with well- 
trained and skilled operators. The only type of kiln which, in the 
laboratory's experience up to that time, was susceptible of sufficiently 
close control was the water-spray type, and therefore this type was 
recommended for this purpose, and suitable drying schedules were 
prepared. 

This heavy drying divided itself naturally into two groups: the 
army wagons for the Quartermaster Corps, and the artillery wheels 
for the Ordnance Department. Assistance was given at both gov- 
ernment-owned plants and arsenals and at contract plants in the 
design and erection and the eventual operation of numerous kilns 
handling heavy stock, a corps of experts being maintained in the field 
for that purpose. One man was stationed at the Rock Island Arsenal 
almost continuously for seven months, while the kilns were being 
erected and the operators trained. The knowledge and experience 
of the laboratory staff and the help which they were able to render 
made possible, since it enabled the dry material to be secured promptly, 
the carrying on of the various programs dependent upon heavy hard- 
wood stock. 

An important problem involving wheel stock was the steam- 
bending of the felloes. There was but little standardization of prac- 
tice in the industry, and the losses which were occurring at many of 
the plants were very large. A field study of this problem was under- 




SOME WAR TIME INSTALLATIONS OF TYPES OF DRY KILNS DEVELOPED AT 

THE LABORATORY 



Contract Plant, Quartermaster's Corps 
Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, 111. 



Naval Aircraft Factory, Philadelphia, Pa. 
Spruce Production Division, Vancouver, Wash. 



A Decennial Record 51 

taken and certain principles determined, the adoption of which cut 
down the losses very materially. It was evident, however, that further 
investigation would serve to improve the art still more, and plans were 
made for an extensive project. A steam-bending machine and steam- 
ing retort were installed and preliminary tests had been made when 
the armistice was signed. Further work has been temporarily aban- 
doned because of the lack of funds. 

An interesting phase of the drying situation was that connected 
with the conditioning of walnut gunstock blanks. The quantity of 
blanks needed was beyond belief, and naturally, long before the entry 
of the United States into the war, air-dry supplies of walnut had been 
absorbed by rifle manufacturers filling contracts for the allies. The 
first attempts to kiln dry green walnut when the available air-dry 
material disappeared, resulted disastrously — one instance being re- 
corded when the opening of the kilns at one plant at the end of a run 
disclosed 60,000 totally ruined blanks with a loss of $72,000 in mate- 
rial costs. One firm with an order for two million rifles for Russian 
use called on the laboratory in this crisis and the application of the 
drying principles already perfected, supplemented with needed varia- 
tions indicated after a study of the problems of this specific material, 
reduced losses to less than two per cent. When the United States 
itself entered the market for greater quantities of rifle blanks than 
ever, facilities existed for filling orders without loss and with but little 
delay. 

Additional assistance was rendered in various ways, especially in 
the preparation of specifications and in the selection of substitute 
species for those difficult to secure in sufficient quantity. The fund 
of data on the properties of wood accumulated since the laboratory's 
inception, coupled with the experience of the staff, proved of very 
great value in this work. 

TV a?' Time Box Work 

The first intimation that there was going to be trouble in connec- 
tion with the boxing and crating of goods for overseas came when the 
Ordnance Department sent out requests for bids on boxes, using its 
standard specifications which called for high grade white pine. No 
bids came back. The help of the laboratory was sought, and, on the 



52 The Forest Products Laboratory 

basis of its previous experience in box testing, a specification was pre- 
pared which allowed the use of many different kinds of wood, the. 
thickness of the boards or shooks varying according to the species. 
This solved the immediate difficulty and showed the way for much 
additional work. This was at first largely confined to the Ordnance 
Department and consisted, for the most part, in the re-design of con- 
tainers for various specific articles, such as rifles, shells, hand grenades, 
machine guns, saddles and harness and other equipment covering a 
wide range. It was possible, in practically all cases, to make a mate- 
rial reduction in the size of the container and also in its first cost 
without reducing its efficiency. Thus, in the case of the Browning 
automatic machine rifles, the re-design of the package carrying two 
of the rifles netted a saving of 33 per cent both in cargo space and in 
material. The significance of the saving in cargo space becomes evi- 
dent when it is realized that it was valued at $6.00 per cubic foot, and 
was not to be had in sufficient quantity at any price. 

Assistance in boxing and crating was rendered to a number of the 
army branches from time to time, and when the general staff took over 
many of the functions formerly exercised by these various branches, 
definite cooperation was arranged with the Office of Industrial Re- 
search of the Division of Purchase, Storage and Traffic, which acted 
as a clearing house and systematized the work to a great extent. When 
the shortage of cargo space became acute, and baling of many goods 
was adopted to cut the space required to the minimum, many tests 
were made upon various types of water-resistant papers to determine 
their suitability for this purpose. Miscellaneous investigations were 
made, also, upon various patent boxes and upon different types of 
straps and seals. Courses of instruction in boxing and crating were 
given to officers and enlisted men, as well as to civilian employes of 
various branches of the War Department, and these branches have re- 
ported that the courses were of exceptional value in building up 
efficient inspection forces. 

Laboratory Participation in Wooden Shipbuilding 

The huge wooden ship program planned by the Emergency Fleet 
Corporation encountered many technical difficulties, a number of 
which were new or unusual, and the laboratory's assistance was re- 
quested in the solution of a number of them. 



A Decennial Record 53 

The laboratory's experience in the grading of structural timbers 
and in the utilization of many of the woods used in shipbuilding was 
called upon in the drafting of new grading rules for ship timbers 
adopted by the Emergency Fleet Corporation and in the revision of 
the rules of construction laid down by the American Bureau of Ship- 
ping. Assistance was also rendered in the inspection of timber under 
the rules of the Emergency Fleet Corporation and for the same 
organization specifications for creosote and its application were pre- 
pared. These specifications permitted the use of all suitable creosotes 
and made the corporation independent of various expensive proprie- 
tary preservatives originally specified. 

A shortage of treenail stock and of properly seasoned treenails 
seemed imminent in the spring of 1918, and the laboratory was called 
upon to find new kinds of wood and to specify means of artificially 
seasoning the treenails. This problem was of first importance since, 
for a time, the supply of treenails actually determined the rate of ship 
construction at a number of yards. Certain promising species were 
selected for experiment, and driving tests made to determine their 
suitability. Live oak and osage orange were selected as comparing 
favorably with black locust, and specifications were adopted allowing 
the use of these woods and providing for a better system of inspection. 
Experimental work upon the kiln drying of these species was pushed 
by the laboratory and the Fleet Corporation made extensive prepara- 
tions for the kiln drying of live oak treenails, which were abandoned 
on the signing of the armistice. 

Cooperation With the Railroad Administration 

The shortage of coal-tar creosote interfered seriously with the 
wood preservation industry, particularly the railroad branch. An 
analysis of existing records of the service rendered by treated ties 
throughout the country was made in connection with a study of rain- 
fall, and it was possible thereby to recommend the use of zinc chloride 
in a number of localities in place of creosote. This formed the basis 
of the allocation of creosote to the railroads by the Railroad Adminis- 
tration. Specifications for a creosote to be used in the joints in car 
construction were also submitted. 



54 The Forest Products Laboratory 

The Railroad Administration experienced endless trouble in the 
construction of wooden cars, largely due to seasoning difficulties 
caused by the shortage of dry car stock. An extensive field study was 
made and the exact causes of the trouble determined. A report out- 
lining the proper remedies was prepared and submitted to the Rail- 
road Administration. In various other ways the laboratory worked 
with the Railroad Administration to solve miscellaneous problems. 
The results of much of this work appear in the form of specifications 
issued by the Administration. 

Furthering the Chemical Warfare Campaign 

The chemical warfare work for the army was first got under way 
by the Bureau of Mines and later taken over by the Chemical Warfare 
Service when this Service was organized. Specific problems were 
assigned to various laboratories throughout the country and several 
having to do with forest products were taken over by the Forest Prod- 
ucts Laboratory. 

One of the most urgent needs was for a highly absorbent charcoal 
for use in gas masks for protection against chlorine. Ordinary char- 
coals were soon found useless for this purpose and experiments were 
started to evolve a suitable coal. This resulted in the preparation of 
a beech-wood charcoal which met the requirements. A similar mate- 
rial had been developed at the same time by the chemists of a large 
commercial carbon-producing firm. The manufacture of this charcoal 
was immediately undertaken at a distillation plant under the super- 
vision of a laboratory chemist, only seven days being required to make 
the needed alterations in the plant. Later on it became desirable, due 
to a shortage of raw material to find a substitute for the very dense 
charcoal made from cocoanut shells. This charcoal was capable of 
absorbing a number of gases against which the beech-wood charcoal 
offered but slight protection. A method of activating charcoal, simi- 
lar to a secret process used by the Bureau of Mines, was first devel- 
oped, so that activating and absorption tests could be made at the 
laboratory, following which a series of artificially dense charcoals, 
made from the hydrolized wood sawdust which is a waste product in 
the manufacture of ethyl alcohol from wood, were developed. The 
best of this series were almost perfect substitutes for cocoanut shell 



A Decennial Record 55 

charcoal, and the process was worked out by laboratory chemists on 
a semi-commercial scale at the Cleveland chemical laboratory of the 
Chemical Warfare Service. The commercial production was just 
about to be undertaken at the termination of hostilities. 

A number of other problems connected with defensive and offen- 
sive chemical warfare were worked upon and definite conclusions 
reached. Changing conditions, however, frequently made the results 
of no value almost before they were secured. Among these problems 
may be mentioned tear gases, gask mask filters, carbon monoxide 
absorbent, solvent for arsene gas, and the recovery of isoprene and 
toluol from turpentine. 

It seemed, at first sight, that our entrance into the war would not 
throw a very great burden upon the wood distillation industry since 
the British munitions manufacturers were the only ones using acetate 
of lime in making smokeless powder and it was not anticipated that 
American manufacturers would produce this particular type of pow- 
der. It soon developed, however, that the aircraft program wo.uld» 
demand twice the current production of acetate for the preparation of 
the cellulose acetate "dope" used to shrink the wing fabric. 

The Signal Corps finally decided to construct several new distil- 
lation plants, after the field had been carefully gone over and the 
merits of various expedients determined. The laboratory acted in a 
consulting capacity in all of this work and also assisted plants already 
in operation to secure greater yields through the use of a temperature 
control method worked out by the laboratory before the war. 

Later, when the demand for acetic acid became so acute that the 
price of production no longer was a controlling factor, a method of 
increasing the yields of acetic acid by fusion of the wood with caustic 
soda was perfected. This method produced three and one-half times 
as much acetic acid per unit weight of wood as straight distillation. 

Wood Cellulose for Explosives 

Among the many fancied and real shortages of raw material, 
those having to do with munitions were perhaps the most spectacular, 
because their immediate significance was most easily appreciated by 
the lay mind. Among these munition shortages none seemed to come 
so unexpectedly or develop so rapidly as that of cotton linters. the 




WOOD DISTILLATION RETORT — A CHARGE BEING PUT INTO THE RETORT 
PREPARATORY TO DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION 



A Decennial Record 57 

base for the manufacture of nitrocellulose, one of the most important 
high explosives. In spite of the fact that special machinery for cut- 
ting the linters from the cotton seeds had been installed at most cot- 
ton seed crushing plants, the demand grew much faster than the 
supply. Finally, the laboratory undertook to find ways and means 
for producing suitable cellulose from wood. Several grades of wood 
pulp were given a series of after-treatments to remove the impurities, 
and the treated samples sent to an arsenal for nitration. It was found 
that at least two of the after-treatments produced entirely satisfactory 
material, and plans for the daily production of several hundred tons 
of this pulp had been made when the cessation of hostilities ended the 
immediate need for such tremendous quantities of high explosives. 

Miscellaneous War Time Activities 

Among the many little things typical of the minor activities of 
the laboratory was the development of several types of shrapnel nose 
plugs. These plugs were used, early in the war, to replace the time 
fuses on shrapnel shells during shipment from the munitions plant to 
the front, and were intended to keep out moisture as well as to pro- 
tect the machined face and thread forming the shrapnel nose. The 
threaded and paraffined wooden plugs formerly used, quite frequently 
swelled during transportation and broke down during attempted re- 
moval. In one type perfected at the laboratory, use was made of the 
fact that wood shrinks very little along the end grain. Therefore, by 
so disposing the wood that the threaded portion was all end-grain, it 
was possible to prevent its swelling and sticking in the hole. 

Another type was moulded from a mixture of paper pulp and 
asphaltic pitch. Still a third, intended to be quick-detachable and 
quick-attachable as well, was built up of wood with a flexible tongue 
which caught in the threads and held the plug in place. A quick pull 
served to break the tongue and release the plug. Just about this time 
the Ordnance Department decided to put the fuses into the shells at 
the loading station, and thus dispense with the use of the nose plugs 
altogether. 

The skill and knowledge gained through many years' study of 
wood under the microscope, and the collection of authentic wood sam- 
ples and microscopic wood sections proved to be of very great value 



58 The Forest Products Laboratory 

in many ways. The great bulk of the work carried out by the wood- 
microscopy specialists during the war consisted in the identification 
(as to species) of samples of wood for the laboratory and for various 
agencies and manufacturers engaged upon war work. Over 18,000 
specimens were thus identified during the war. One of the most re- 
markable series of identifications was of gas mask charcoals submitted 
by the Bureau of Standards early in the war. It was possible, by the 
use of the identification keys worked out before the war, to identify 
the species of wood from which each sample of charcoal had been made. 

A distinct phase of the microscopic work was the examination of 
wood for decay. There are many kinds of stain and discoloration 
caused by various agencies, among which are certain decay-producing 
organisms. It is frequently impossible to determine the origin of a 
stain except under the microscope, and it is most important, especially 
in aircraft work, that no wood be used which is even slightly decayed 
and, almost as important, that no wood be rejected simply on suspicion 
of decay. 

Manufacturing and purchasing specifications of the leaders in 
industry usually embody in a few simple words the results of years 
of study and experience and they represent the latest and best prac- 
tice. Much of the progress made by the laboratory in its ten years of 
research is embodied in the specifications of the various Army and 
Navy bureaus and of the leading manufacturers in many industries 
using wood. Several hundred such specifications were referred to the 
laboratory for criticism and revision, and of these a goodly share were 
written practically in their entirety at the laboratory. 

Instructional work afforded another excellent means of making 
the laboratory's knowledge effective. The staff had been doing in- 
structional work of various kinds for a number of years and was 
therefore well qualified to undertake the instruction of various grades 
of inspectors and operators. The first course for airplane inspectors 
was given in July, 1917, and succeeding courses at intervals of two or 
three weeks until the close of the war. About 125 men received in- 
struction in these courses, exclusive of various of the newer members 
of the laboratory staff. 

Courses of instruction for box inspectors, principally for the 
Ordnance Department, were inaugurated at about the same time as 
those for airplane inspectors, and continued until after the cessation 



A Decexxial Record 59 

of hostilities. About 90 men in all attended these courses. As an 
illustration of their practical worth it is reported that a new type of 
cartridge case box designed by one of these men saved the Ordnance 
Department $50,000 on the first contract, besides saving $100,000 
worth of cargo space. Instruction was also given dry kiln operators 
at various periods, to supplement the individual instructional work 
being done by laboratory representatives in the field. 

In concluding this chapter of the laboratory's history, record 
should be made of the fact that it could not have been written had it 
not been for the loyalty and enthusiasm of the individual members of 
the staff and the spirit of the organization as a whole which overcame 
seemingly insurmountable obstacles and produced the results. 



CHAPTER V 

FINANCIAL VALUE OF RESEARCH RESULTS 

Closely related as the Forest Products Laboratory is to much of 
the business life of the country, and having much of its research 
applied directly to industrial processes, the acid test of, "does it pay?", 
is more likely to be applied than it would be if the research conducted 
here were entirely of an abstract nature. At the same time emphasis 
should be placed on the fact that much of the laboratory work has been 
and always will be in the field of pure science, laying the necessary 
ground work for the applied type of research that finds expression in 
many of the processes described earlier in this volume. With far 
flung connections such as have been built up in ten years, and with no 
definite knowledge of the ultimate distance traveled by the methods 
and ideas radiating from here as a center, it is impossible to answer in 
full the query, does it pay, or correctly estimate the true financial value 
of the research results of the laboratory. Any honest estimate, natu- 
rally, falls short of the total. 



60 The Forest Products Laboratory 

We do know the operating cost of the laboratory for the past ten 
years, what has been expended to produce the results so far attained. 
Briefly, in the ten years of its life, very close to two million dollars 
has been appropriated to maintain the institution. The war period 
accounts for a fair portion of this total, so the yearly amount, exclud- 
ing the time of greatest expansion, is, in the light of accomplishments, 
low. While the total gain cannot be estimated in dollars and cents, 
some of the known results, however, enable the use of a yard stick 
which will serve to demonstrate that organized industrial research in 
wood is a paying investment. 

The building and construction trade, for example uses annually 
about 5I/2 billion feet of lumber for structural purposes where strength 
is important. This material is worth roughly $200,000,000. In- 
vestigation at the Forest Products Laboratory on the mechanical 
properties of American woods has given knowledge permitting a 20 
per cent increase in allowable working stresses in structural timbers. 
This means a possible saving of $40,000,000/ of which it is estimated 
that some $4,000,000 is already saved each year through use of labora- 
tory data. 

Claims for loss and damage to commodities in shipment actually 
paid by the railroads amount to over $100,000,000 annually. Proper 
nailing and improved designs developed by the laboratory and adopted 
by the National Association of Box Manufacturers, and through them 
by many companies and shippers, is estimated to save about one per 
cent of this loss, a total saving of $1,000,000 a year. 

Work on water-resistant glues and plywood for airplanes carried 
on at the laboratory during the war emergency alone saved the War 
Department a sum running into millions in its procurement of such 
material during a twelve months' period. 

Investigations in the use of hull fibre and second-cut linters for 
pulp and paper have resulted in the establishment of several plants 
having a potential daily production of 300 tons of paper with an 
annual sale value of $8,000,000. 

The adoption of improved methods of turpentining developed by 
the Forest Service has resulted in increased yields and decreased 
injury to timber with net savings aggregating $4,000,000 per year. 

The importance of the knowledge which the laboratory had 
accumulated on suitable methods of drying and on dry-kiln design 



A Decennial Record 61 

at the beginning of the war, cannot be estimated in dollars. It was 
put to immediate use in the drying of lumber for all war purposes, as 
gunstocks, wagon parts, artillery wheel rims and spokes, airplane wing 
beams and propellers. The results have been described elsewhere. 

Preventable losses in commercial operations, due to improper air 
drying and poor kiln drying, have aggregated annually over one bil- 
lion dollars, at the present price of lumber. How much of this is now 
being saved through the assistance of the laboratory it is difficult to 
estimate, but the losses are obviously growing less through the con- 
stantly widening sphere of laboratory influence. 

The annual saving to American industries directly attributable 
to the work of the laboratory is estimated at approximately 30 million 
dollars, with the possibility of a much larger saving were full use made 
of the results of its investigations. In addition, these results are of 
much value to Federal and State Governments and to private owners 
in the management of forest lands, and are promoting forest conser- 
vation by pointing the way to making one tree do the work of two. 

Results, of course, cannot be obtained over night, and but ten 
years has elapsed since the beginning of the work. However, the 
results obtained so far have clearly demonstrated that over any rea- 
sonable period of years, economies resulting from organized research 
so greatly exceed the expense involved that there can be no questions 
as to its value. 

As a side commentary on the financial aspects of forest products 
research, the practical value of the work done at Madison has received 
wide foreign recognition. Based on a study of this laboratory a similar 
institution has been installed by the Canadian government; also in 
South Africa, India, and Australia, the various local governments 
have called men of the laboratory staff to direct research in forest 
products particularly in the seasoning and kiln drying of timber 
species commercially used there. In practically every country on the 
globe are laboratory contacts, largely with wood-using industries, 
established through requests for information available at the labora- 
tory and the recognition of the practical value of this information. 




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A Decennial Record 63 

CHAPTER VI 
FUTURE RESEARCH IN FOREST PRODUCTS 

The laboratory, passing, as it did, through the war with a large 
measure of service to its credit, is now in the post-war adjustment 
period, sailing out on a new tack. The immediate realignment of 
forces, following the armistice, the reduction in personnel, the clean- 
ing up of war pro j ects, and the application of facts learned during the 
war to peace time industries and processes, have been told earlier in 
this book. The two years that have elapsed since the armistice have 
seen the adjustment largely completed. 

What of the future, of the problems still unsolved, the fields of 
research visioned from this point, the beginning of the second decade 
of the Forest Products Laboratory's existence? Such a vision exists, 
and its keynote is the reduction of the annual drain upon the remain- 
ing forests of America by more economical utilization. A vision of 
service to the wood-using industries of the country and a desire to stop 
the widening of the alarming gap in America's economic fabric — the 
shortage of timber to meet our present standard of civilization — are 
essential parts of this vision. 

Some of the problems facing the wood-using industries are given 
briefly below, together with their relation to past and present work 
of the laboratory. A number of phases of these problems are being 
worked on now, in so far as provision has been made to finance them, 
either through Federal appropriation or through cooperative funds. 

The Mechanical Properties of Wood 

The laboratory's work in this field has been centered upon deter- 
mining the mechanical properties of the different important commer- 
cial species of the United States. At the outbreak of the war some 
130 different species had been tested, and the results of these tests 
formed the foundation for practically all of the laboratory's war work 
where the strength of timber was a factor. This data, still incomplete, 



64 The Forest Products Laboratory 

likewise forms a fundamental basis for determining the design and use 
of wood and things made of wood ; effect of defects ; the selection of 
proper woods for various uses; the technical studies of wood-using 
industries; the standardization of grading rules and building codes; 
and the economic utilization of structural timbers. 

When it is realized that more than one-half of the timber cut each 
year is for structural use, the savings possible because of the accurate 
knowledge of the mechanical properties of the different woods may 
be appreciated. For example, one-sixth of the 40 billion feet of lum- 
ber consumed annually is in the form of boxes and shipping containers. 
It has been estimated that by developing balanced box construction 
it will be possible to use from 25 to 50 per cent less lumber (equivalent 
to a saving of from two to three billion feet of lumber annually) , and 
at the same time provide containers equal to or better than those now 
used. The demands upon the laboratory for information relative to 
proper box construction are far in excess of what it can handle; and 
while it has made a good many tests of different types of boxes, it has 
scarcely scratched the surface of the field of possibilities. 

Another field in which the mechanical properties of wood should 
be studied is that involving the steam bending of wood. This is a field 
in which the percentage of waste is exceedingly high, particularly in 
the vehicle, furniture, and cooperage industries, due to the high per- 
centage of breakage in the wood when under bending pressure. The 
problem involves many factors. It is one upon which the laboratory 
has been able to do practically nothing. 

Other profitable fields are those involving the development of 
built-up trusses, thus making possible the utilization of low grade 
lumber; the development of joints and fastenings in timber construc- 
tion; the effect of growth conditions on the properties of wood, and 
especially the determination of the differences in the mechanical prop- 
erties of the second growth timber now coming to merchantable size, 
and upon which the industries will be more and more dependent; the 
development of laminated construction permitting greater utilization 
of small sized and low grade material; comprehensive tests on full 
sized timbers used as columns for building construction ; the standard- 
ization of building codes so that each species will be given its proper 
place, based upon its true mechanical value, thus avoiding the large 



A Decexnial Record 65 

waste now resulting from the inefficient selection and utilization of 
material. 

The Preservative Treatment of Wood 

This is a large field of conservation possibilities. To date the 
laboratory's work has been directed mainly to determining the pene- 
trability of different species with available commercial preservatives 
and to developing more efficient processes of treating wood to protect 
it against decay. Recent estimates show that the annual loss due to 
decay in varied forms of structural timbers, such as railroad ties, mine 
timbers, piling, bridge timbers, posts, poles, etc., amounts to as much 
material as is annually lost by forest fires. Wood preservation has 
been demonstrated as commercially profitable, but its practice is not 
as general as it should be, and preservative methods are still susceptible 
to much improvement. 

The laboratory has also done a limited amount of work on the 
problem of fire-proofing wood, but has not had the facilities nor the 
organization to carry it to the point of success. Of the annual fire 
loss in this country a great deal could be prevented by the develop- 
ment of more effective and cheaper methods of fire-proofing wood. 
Research in this field is necessarily expensive, but the possibilities of 
saving both timber and property are so great and important that work 
of this character should not be long postponed. 

Great quantities of mine timbers are destroyed annually by decay 
because they are not given preservative treatment. The amount of 
timber used in the mines throughout the country is staggering, and the 
laboratory should have men in the field most of the time conferring 
with mine officials, demonstrating the value of wood preservatives and 
promoting their use. Much of the necessary experimental work on 
the treatment of mine timber has been done, and its value has been 
conclusively proved, but the laboratory has not the organization to 
carry its information to the mine and demonstrate its application 
and use. 

Similarly, great quantities of timber used as piling in salt water 
are destroyed annually by marine borers. Incidents may be cited 
where large docks and over-water buildings erected at great expense 
have been undermined and practically destroyed within a year or two 



66 The Forest Products Laboratory 

after construction, due to the attack of the marine borers. The lab- 
oratory has done some work on this problem cooperating with a 
committee of business men on the West Coast, but the problem of 
finding a more effective treatment to protect piling against these bor- 
ers is one calling for urgent consideration, both from timber-conserva- 
tion and property-maintenance standpoints. 

Because of the gradual depletion of eastern woods, railroads in 
the East and Middle West are being forced more and more to use the 
far western species for ties and structural purposes. Many of these 
woods are of the so-called inferior species, and they must be given 
preservative treatment in order to render effective service. A num- 
ber of them, however, take treatment with difficulty, and the present 
investigations of the laboratory are inadequate to recommend treating 
processes which are wholly satisfactory. The laboratory plans to 
continue its work on these species, but its organization and finances are 
inadequate to attack it on the scale its importance justifies. 

During the war the laboratory was called upon by the Army 
and Navy to conduct a series of researches involving the development 
and use of water-resistant glues. The results of this work have 
found wide application for peacetime uses, including the manufacture 
of plywood, laminated articles, airplane construction, etc. The de- 
velopment of most effective glues in relation to the service which 
wooden products should give, is, however, still in its infancy, and it 
is difficult to predict what economic savings may result from intensive 
research in this field. 

Laminated wood is becoming increasingly practical, and develop- 
ments in its manufacture hold out promise of great improvement in 
wood utilization practice. They may even have a profound effect on 
the future methods of forestry in making it unnecessary to raise trees 
of large size. Even under conditions existing today, the development 
of laminated construction will open a market for the profitable use of 
millions of feet of small material now wasted. The single discovery 
of a process of making a durable water-proof glue which will withstand 
outside climatical conditions will open a great field for laminated 
products. 



A Decennial Record 67 



The Chemical Utilization of Wood 

From the standpoint of utilizing waste, this is an important field 
calling for further development in our knowledge of the chemistry of 
wood and the application of that knowledge to the chemical and by- 
products industries. The laboratory has had a small force of specially 
trained men engaged in studying the processes by which some of the 
more important chemical products, including ethyl alcohol, methyl 
alcohol, acetic acid, tannin, etc., are derived from wood. It has not 
been able to advance far in a fundamental study of the chemistry of 
wood cellulose or to investigate in a comprehensive way many other 
problems which hold out promise of utilizing present waste. 

It has been stated that in the waste resulting from the lumbering 
and milling of southern pine there are values in chemical products 
greater than the value of the lumber manufactured. The problem is 
to work out practical processes for reclaiming these values. One of 
these products, for example, is grain or ethyl alcohol. The laboratory 
has done considerable work in developing efficient processes for con- 
verting sawdust and wood waste into ethyl alcohol and the process is 
now on a commercial basis. This alcohol is of high purity. It is an 
efficient fuel for gas engines and finds wide use throughout the chemi- 
cal and pharmaceutical industries. To extend the use of the process 
further, intensive and exhaustive investigations to secure greater effi- 
ciency and lower production costs are desirable. 

Another example of how new uses for wood waste may be discov- 
ered through research is the recent development by the laboratory of 
a stock food prepared from white pine sawdust. Results from the 
preliminary feeding of this material by the University of Wisconsin 
indicate that a carbohydrate food from sawdust of many coniferous 
species may be made and that it has a value equivalent to one-half 
that of barley and similar stock foods. Conservative estimates indicate 
that it can be produced under present conditions at approximately 
$7.00 per ton. 

Another striking and important field embraces the problem of 
providing a future supply of wood alcohol obtained primarily by 
destructive distillation of hardwood. Many of the basic industries are 
dependent upon wood alcohol, and no other means of producing this 




FOREST SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS IN TURPENTINING PROCESSES REPRESENT AN 
- ANNUAL SAVING TO INDUSTRY OF $3,000,000 



A Decenxial Recokd 69 

product have yet been discovered. The growing scarcity of hardwoods 
makes the problem of its future supply increasingly acute. The labora- 
tory has given some study to the different processes now used in wood 
distillation, and during the past year it has developed certain modifi- 
cations which indicate that the yield of wood alcohol from a given 
quantity of wood may be increased about 50 per cent over the present 
normal production. It is important that this whole field be studied 
more comprehensively than the laboratory is now able to do, not only 
in order that processes may be made more efficient, but that the pro- 
ductive value of new woods may be determined. 

Still another field, in which better methods of utilization are 
urgent, embraces the turpentine and rosin industry. This industry 
is in a precarious situation because of the rapid exhaustion of southern 
yellow pine which is its main and practically only source of supply. 
Xot only is it one of the oldest industries in the country but it gives 
the United States the leadership in the world in the production of 
turpentine and rosin. It is imbued with old ideas and in many cases 
is following old customs with consequent waste of raw material. 
While the laboratory has already developed methods which have elim- 
inated some of this waste and have increased the yield of both turpen- 
tine and rosin, further work is desirable in order that the life of the 
industry may be prolonged by developing maximum production from 
the longleaf pine timber now remaining. 

There are many other lines which give promise of reclaiming 
wood now wasted and of increasing the value of products already 
being reclaimed. Among these may be mentioned studies to improve 
fire boxes and grates so as to get the maximum heat from wood waste 
when burned in fire plants; the production from wood of absorbent 
and decolorizing charcoal; the effect of various species used in food 
containers on the odor and taste of the contents, and the methods of 
treating wood to remove odor and taste ; and methods for decolorizing 
rosin obtainable from pine stumps, thus making it comparable to that 
obtained from the living tree. 

The Utilization of Wood for Pulp and Paper 

It is unnecessary to call attention to the importance to the nation 
of the pulp and paper industry. Its products weave into every other 



70 The Forest Products Laboratory 

industry and almost every activity of the nation. Under present 
methods of converting trees into pulp this industry is dependent for 
its raw supplies upon three per cent of the standing timber remaining. 
This is due to the fact that present processes are commercially adapted 
to a very few species only. This accounts, in part, for the fact that 
the pulp mill industry in the East and the Lake States faces exhaus- 
tion of local timber within a decade or two, and the future of the 
industry for the country as a whole rests upon the development of 
processes which will make it commercially practical to use species 
other than those now being used, especially western woods which com- 
prise over 60 per cent of our remaining timber. 

The laboratory's work in the pulp and paper field has been 
focused primarily in determining the value of our different species 
for pulp and paper. More than 70 different species have been studied. 
A process was recently developed, for example, whereby a high grade 
book paper may be made from southern yellow pine. This process, 
put to commercial application, makes available the southern pineries 
as a source of book paper and thus relieves the drain upon the species 
now used, the supply of which is rapidly being exhausted. 

A further field of research work promising high returns, particu- 
larly in the East where the industry has been long established, em- 
braces the prevention of waste and the greater utilization of the timber 
supply now available. It is conservatively estimated that with proper 
research to develop increased utilization, our remaining pulpwood 
supply will produce, unit for unit, double the finished product that is 
now being obtained. Present chemical processes applied to over 30 
per cent of the wood used in producing newsprint, for example, con- 
vert less than 50 per cent of the raw wood into paper. The remainder 
passes off as waste. It contains valuable chemical constituents. 

Tremendous losses occur in the storage of pulp wood and of the 
manufactured pulp. These losses are placed by the industry at about 
$5,000,000 annually. They are due to fungus decay which the mills, 
to date, have been unable to combat, owing to the lack of knowledge 
of the fungi and their methods of attack, and of proper methods of 
control. Within the past year (1920) the laboratory has made a study 
of this problem in cooperation with the industry which has supplied 
a large part of the necessary money to conduct the work. Preliminary 
results indicate that much can be done to check the decay by applying 



A Decennial Record 71 

proper methods of storage to both pulp and pulp wood and by treating 
the pulp with antiseptics. These possibilities should be fully investi- 
gated, and the hmiting concentrations of antiseptics already found 
effective should be clearly determined. 

Much more comprehensive work should be done in studying the 
chemistry and fundamental practice of the cooking processes, as at 
present conducted by the pulp and paper industry. These processes 
have not been improved to any degree for a long period, and there 
appears to be little doubt but that there is great room for improve- 
ment, not only in cooking but likewise in the bleaching processes. 

Over 50 per cent of the weight of the wood that enters the 
chemical pulp mills, or over 2,000,000 tons, is now dissolved in the 
cooking liquors. Of this less than a third finds ultimate use and that 
merely as a fuel. It contains, however, methyl and ethyl alcohols, 
acetones, acetic acid, various oils and materials from which it should 
be possible to obtain a vast number of other valuable products. The 
pulp-maker, however, is not essentially a chemist and avoids by-prod- 
ucts processes that are purely chemical. It is a problem that should 
be undertaken by the research men. 

Physical Properties of Wood 

The laboratory's work in this field has been along two main lines : 

( 1 ) The development of efficient methods of kiln drying lumber, and 

(2) the identification of woods and the relation of their structure to 
their properties. The latter is important and fundamental to the 
determination of the penetrability of different woods by preservatives, 
fire-retardent solutions, coatings and glues, the explanation of phe- 
nomena occurring in kiln drying, such as shrinkage, casehardening, 
etc., and the detection and effect of decay and other strength-reducing 
factors. 

Considerable work along both lines has been done by the labora- 
tory, but the respective fields are so large and the laboratory's facili- 
ties so small in proportion, that many of the more fundamental prob- 
lems remain incomplete. The seasoning process is an especially weak 
link in the chain of processes transforming the log into the finished 
product, and the annual loss incident to poor seasoning runs into many 
millions of feet. The laboratory has worked out some of the funda- 




WOOD TECHNOLOGY — THE MICROSCOPE IS USEFUL IN IDENTIFICATION AND IN THE 
STUDY OF DECAY, PRESERVATION, COATINGS, AND OTHER FACTORS 



A Decennial Record 73 

mental physical laws governing the drying of wood and the relation 
of moisture to strength. 

This data forms the groundwork whereby characteristic indus- 
trial problems involved in the seasoning processes have been dealt with 
extensively and through which this country, shortly after its entrance 
into the war, became recognized as the highest authority in the world 
on the kiln drying of wood. This data, incomplete though it still is, 
has already done much to promote more scientific and more efficient 
kiln drying of wood. 

The laboratory has not only worked out kiln-drying schedules for 
a number of our more important species, but it has developed two 
types of dry kilns, one especially adapted to slowly drying refactory 
hardwoods and the other to rapidly drying softwoods. Within its 
limited means it has given assistance to lumber companies and wood- 
working plants in designing and remodelling commercial kilns, and 
through experiments it has developed methods of kiln drying many 
kinds of lumber green from the saw, reducing, in some cases, the time 
of drying as much as from 4 or 5 years to 90 or 100 days. 

With an expanded organization it would be possible to bring 
about very generally better methods of drying wood, by sending lab- 
oratory representatives to the different plants and helping them to 
solve their problems upon the ground. In the course of a year the 
laboratory receives many such requests, but is able to meet relatively 
few of them without interrupting its regular work. 

There is, furthermore, great need for more extensive study of 
auxiliary dry -kiln apparatus in order to simplify the operation of 
dry kilns ; the development of humidity control in shops and storage 
sheds; the improvement of drying schedules for many species upon 
which conclusive investigations have not yet been possible; and the 
development of improved methods of air seasoning lumber in order to 
reduce degrade to the minimum. 

Industrial Investigations 

This field might be termed "the technical study of the efficiency 
of wood conversion processes". It is a field in which the laboratory's 
work has been exceedingly limited, owing to the fact that an adequate 
organization has not been available. Some of the problems involved 



74 The Forest Products Laboratory 

are the standardization of lumber grades and specifications; effect 
upon the cost of production of various sizes and grades of logs ; effi- 
ciency and character of mill operations; studies of processes of manu- 
facturing furniture, vehicle, cooperage, etc., and the wood waste 
incident thereto; and the correlation of the properties of different 
species to their most efficient use. 

As an example of the tremendous possibilities of conserving 
timber through such studies the dimension-stock problem may be 
mentioned. The total requirements of the secondary wood-using in- 
dustries for wood in dimension stock sizes amounts to eight or nine 
billion feet annually. Of this amount, some five or six billion feet is 
small dimension stock which is cut from standard lumber sizes after 
the lumber has reached the wood-using factory. The extent to which 
this practice causes waste cannot be accurately gauged, but it is the 
opinion of many of those who have carefully studied the problem that 
a large percentage of this small dimension stock material could be cut 
at the mills from material now wasted. 

The laboratory plans to assign a number of men to this dimension 
stock problem with the ultimate object of determining by accurate 
studies the most efficient process by which the standing tree can be 
manufactured into the dimension standards required by the wood- 
using industries. This is merely one of the many important problems 
which should be undertaken in the same field. 

Estimated Saving, Ten Billion Feet 

The foregoing indicates, in a very broad way, the character of the 
work in which the laboratory is now engaged and the large and profit- 
able field before it. There can be no doubt of the value of research 
work of the character which is being done, whether performed by the 
laboratory or some other organization. It is one of the most effective 
and practical measures for meeting the forest problem. There is no 
extravagance in the statement that it is entirely feasible to save ten 
billion feet annually through better utilization. 



A Decennial Record 75 



CHAPTER VII 
HOW TO USE THE LABORATORY 

To a greater or less degree every wood-using industry of the 
country is a prospective user of the Forest Products Laboratory or 
the data available there. This statement is made with a fair apprecia- 
tion of the vast complexity of the inter-relation of the many different 
aspects of this great primary industry. Sooner or later in the long 
process from the forest giant growing peacefully in the fastness of the 
far-away hills to the finished article of commerce containing wood in 
its make-up, a number of contacts of common interest will be devel- 
oped by every one of these industries, however unrelated the ultimate 
products. Economies in logging, in saw mill practice, in kiln drying, 
in the elimination of loss all along the line, in the development of means 
of utilizing what is now waste by-product, all these will ultimately 
affect the wood user through cheaper or more stable supplies of raw 
material, whether this user be a man building a house, a plant turning 
out wagons, a pulp manufacturer, or the maker of wooden mouse 
traps. The laboratory, through its contact with all phases of forest 
products, has something of interest to all of these. 

The prospective user should think of the laboratory as a big 
reservoir of facts bearing on his industry, which he, as a taxpayer, has 
helped to create and which he can tap on demand. If he is engaged in 
a business that has a relatively wide bearing on wood and its use — for 
instance, wood preservation, pulp and paper, kiln drying — he will find 
here information in great detail, even the most complete data in exist- 
ence bearing on his problems. Many minor fields and side trails of 
the vast ramifications of the wood-using industries have also been 
probed to a greater or less degree, or, if problems in these lesser lines 
have not been specially covered, light may be thrown on them through 
knowledge obtained by work done in related fields. 

"Ask and it shall be given you", might be the first suggestion for 
using the laboratory. The daily quota of laboratory mail contains 
many requests from all parts of the United States and usually a num- 




THE CONTROL AND OPERATION END OF A DRY KILN AT THE LABORATORY 



A Decexxial Record 77 

ber of far corners of the world for information, publications, and ad- 
vice on general and specific phases of problems arising in every con- 
ceivable sort of wood-using industry. If a problem comes within the 
field covered by the laboratory — and this field has been indicated in 
other chapters of this book — the mail and telegraph will tap the lab- 
oratory's reservoir of information on demand. Many companies and 
individuals have found personal conference of value, and this medium 
of communication with the industries is welcomed. Further, the lab- 
oratory is always available for either a short or extended study and 
investigation of its methods and lines of work not only by American 
citizens but by accredited representatives of foreign wood users or 
governments. 

Naturally, for any of the services rendered as just outlined, there 
is no charge. A vast amount of material — reports and articles, printed 
bulletins, photographs and diagrams has been prepared for distribu- 
tion and, as far as available, will be furnished gratis on bona fide 
request. 

With the establishment of fundamental principles and processes, 
and the outlining of standard methods of testing, the laboratory 
gradually has entered, in the past two years, a new phase of relations 
with the wood-using industries, namely, cooperative service. While 
essentially a government activity conducting research in forest prod- 
ucts for the benefit of the people of the United States, its purpose is 
best served when the results of its work are of broadest application and 
of most permanent value in promoting the economical use of wood. 

The laboratory is maintained and operated by annual appropria- 
tions made by the Congress of the United States. These appropria- 
tions are based upon general estimates of work to be undertaken 
during the ensuing fiscal year, so that the amount of money appro- 
priated by Congress for the laboratory's use must be spent in accord- 
ance with an annual program of work. In keeping with the purpose 
of the laboratory, it is the policy of the Government to make this 
program, in so far as possible, one of fundamental research, the results 
of which will be of greatest benefit and of most lasting value from a 
public standpoint. In addition, it is necessary to provide sufficient 
money to disseminate its data and information, free of charge, through 
correspondence, which averages 3,000 letters a month, and through 
reports and special articles. 



78 The Forest Products Laboratory 



From the foregoing, it will be seen that the laboratory does not 
have available money with which to undertake projects not included 
in its regular program of work. The amount annually made available 
by Congress must be spent in accordance with a general program 
approved by it. This sum, however, is much less than could be ex- 
pended effectively with the laboratory's present facilities. 

Recognizing the further opportunity for service, the laboratory 
has adopted the policy of undertaking cooperative work up to the point 
where it can be handled efficiently and without disruption of its regu- 
lar program of fundamental work. A number of important consid- 
erations influenced the Forest Service in offering this cooperative 
service, among which are : 

( 1 ) The Forest Products Laboratory is the only organization 
of its kind in this country fully equipped to conduct intensive re- 
search in all lines of wood utilization and readily available to the 
lumber- and wood-using industries. During the ten years of its 
existence, it has built up a great fund of scientific information on 
wood which is usually of direct value and application in the solu- 
tion of specific problems, thus making it possible to solve many 
new problems with a minimum amount of new research. The 
idea behind its cooperative service is thus to place its facilities, 
organization, and fund of information at the disposal of the indus- 
tries under the best terms possible and practicable. The alterna- 
tive would be to attempt no research except that provided for in 
its approved program. 

(2) A certain amount of cooperative work, it is believed, is a 
healthy thing for an organization of this character. It not only 
increases contact between the laboratory and the wood users, thus 
stimulating appreciation of one another's problems, but it adds 
to the general fund of scientific information on wood. While all 
information in possession of the laboratory is disseminated free 
of charge, much of this information is incomplete when applied 
to specialized commercial problems. Cooperative service makes 
available to the industries an opportunity, which otherwise would 
not be available, to supplement by special research at minimum 
cost any incomplete data in possession either of the laboratory or 
of the industry. And it tends to utilize the full capacity of the 
laboratory. 




COOPERATIVE BOX WORK — A STUDY OF DIAGONAL COMPRESSION 



80 The Forest Products Laboratory 

In offering cooperative service, however, it has been necessary to 
place certain limitations upon the work which will be accepted. The 
laboratory does not desire to engage in mere routine testing, and it is 
not its purpose to do so. To meet all requests of this character would 
require many times its present appropriation. Especially does it 
avoid a type of routine work that could be readily done by an industry 
through the installation of simple testing machinery, at reasonable 
cost, by the industry itself. Advice on such installations will invari- 
ably be given if desired. It is not its purpose to promote one product 
as against another, but to present facts which will enable the public and 
the industries to put wood to its best use. It has therefore adopted as 
one of its underlying principles of this cooperative work that it will not 
accept any project the results of which will not be of some general 
value and application. As between two pieces of cooperative work, 
only one of which the laboratory could undertake, the one would be 
accepted which it appeared would give results of broadest application. 

The conditions under which this cooperative service is rendered 



are: 



( 1 ) The laboratory will plan and carry out the tests of investi- 
gations desired and will prepare the necessary report. The coop- 
erator will pay all expenses incidental to the work. He will be 
charged actual cost of work only. The laboratory does not render 
cooperative services on a profit basis. In cases where the work is 
of direct value in furthering the regular research program of the 
laboratory, the cost is often divided between the laboratory and 
the cooperator. 

( 2 ) The laboratory shall have the unrestricted right to publish 
and distribute the results obtained from the investigation. The 
cooperator shall not publish for general distribution any state- 
ments or reports commiting the laboratory unless specific ap- 
proval is first obtained. Experience has shown this restriction 
necessary as a protection to the laboratory, the cooperator, and 
the public against possible misuse of data obtained and against 
dissemination of incomplete and misleading results. The value 
of the laboratory's work depends upon the authenticity of its re- 
sults and the confidence which the public and the industries can 
place in them at all time. 

(3) Results are not subject to private patent. 



A Decennial Record 81 

The cooperative service offered by the laboratory is thus an effort 
to aid the industries, at minimum expense, in a larger way than would 
be possible by limiting activities exclusively to the work authorized by 
annual appropriations from Congress. It in no way commercializes 
the work of the laboratory, because all information available on any 
phase of wood utilization is furnished free upon request or through 
personal consultation. But special problems, involving additional 
data and investigations outside its regular program of research, can be 
handled only under the conditions stated. 

Individuals or companies, by referring their wood problems to 
the laboratory, may obtain in advance a statement of the tests or in- 
vestigations thought necessary to their solution and an estimate of the 
cost. Communications should be addressed to the Director, Forest 
Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. 



PART II 




H 

i— t 



A Decennial Record 85 



THE DECEXNIAL 

The culmination of the first ten years of the life of 
the laboratory came with the Decennial Celebration on 
July 22 and 23, 1920, at Madison, Wisconsin. That the 
ten years was fruitful of no small measure of service and 
establishment of good will among those whom the lab- 
oratory was intended to serve is shown by the registra- 
tion during the two days' festivities, which were attended 
by 269 visitors from 22 states and Canada and Porto 
Rico. Largely drawn from the nation's wood-using 
and forest and lumbering interests, these representative 
business men and friends were given opportunity to 
study the development of the laboratory as it stands 
today in physical equipment and facilities for future 
service. On the part of the laboratory, it was the laying 
of a new foundation stone for the erection of a greater 
laboratory, the gaining of inspiration to press on to the 
making of a new ten-year record. Service to the wood- 
using industries of the country indirectly, and primarily 
the extension of the usefulness of America's forests, so 
vital to the welfare of our present standard of civiliza- 
tion, were the keynotes of the decennial. 

The program and proceedings of the celebration 
follow. 



86 The Forest Products Laboratory 



PROGRAM OF THE DECENNIAL CELEBRATION 
FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY 

Thursday, July 22, 1920 

Registration 

Headquarters have been established at the Park Hotel 
on Capitol Square and all are requested to go there for 
room reservations, registration, banquet tickets, train 
schedules and other information. 

10:30 a. m. General Assembly 

Agricultural Hall, University of Wisconsin 

H. F. Weiss, Chairman, Consulting Engineer, C. F. 
Burgess Laboratories and Former Director, Forest 
Products Laboratory. 

"Legislative Measures for Forest Conservation" 
The Honorable Emanuel L. Philipp, Governor of Wis- 
consin. 

"Translating Knowledge Into Power" 
E. A. Birge, LL.D., S.C.E., President of the Univer- 
sity of Wisconsin. 

"The Forest Products Laboratory" 
C. P. Winslow, Director, Forest Products Laboratory. 

12:00 noon Luncheon 

Gymnasium, University of Wisconsin 

1 :00 p. m. Inspection of the Forest Products Laboratory 

(Beport at the main building of the laboratory on Uni- 
versity Avenue and join a party with a guide.) 
The Home Economics Department of the University of 
Wisconsin will hold a special demonstration for the bene- 
fit of visiting ladies. 



A Decennial Record 87 

4s :00 p. m. Recreation 

Automobile tour of the city, boating and swimming. 

7 :00 p. m. Banquet 

Gymnasium, University of Wisconsin 

Burr W. Jones, LL.D., Toastmaster. 
"Forests and National Prosperity" 
Lieutenant-Colonel W. B. Greeley, Forester, Forest 
Service, United States Department of Agriculture. 

"Scientific Research and the Submarine Detector" 
Illustrated talk by Prof. Max Mason, Research Special- 
ist of the National Research Council. 



Friday, July 23, 1920 

10:00 a. m. General Assembly 

Agricultural Hall, University of Wisconsin 

John Foley, Chairman, Forester, Pennsylvania Railway 
System. 

"Some Problems or the Pulp and Paper Industry" 
D. C. Everest, Secretary and General Manager, Mara- 
thon Paper Mills Company. 

"America's Place in Industrial Research" 
H. E. Howe, Chairman, Research Extension Division, 
National Research Council. 

"Some Problems of the Lumber Industry" 
W. A. Gilchrist, Member of the Forestry Committee, 
National Lumber Manufacturers' Association. 

12:00 noon Luncheon 

Gymnasium, University of Wisconsin 



88 The Forest Products Laboratory 



ADJOURNMENT 



SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS 

A Wood-Using Industries Conference on a National Forestry 
Policy will be held on July 23 at 2 : 00 p. m. in Agricultural Hall, Uni- 
versity of Wisconsin. All are invited to attend this conference. 

A meeting of the Executive Committee of the American Wood 
Preservers' Association will be held on the afternoon of July 22. 

Deans of Forestry and Engineering Schools will meet the morn- 
ing of July 24 to consider a curriculum for Forest Engineers. 

There will be a meeting of the Inter-regional Technical Commit- 
tee of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association on the morn- 
ing of July 24. 

The Venetian Night Regatta of the University of Wisconsin will 
be held at the foot of Park street on Lake Mendota on the afternoon 
and evening of July 23. This is a gala event. 



A Decennial Record 89 



FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY DECENNIAL 

CELEBRATION 

Introductory Speech 

H. F. Weiss, Chairman 

Friends of the Forest Products Laboratory : 

Ten years ago the state of Wisconsin, through its university, 
entered into a cooperative agreement with the Federal Government 
through its Forest Service to establish an institution for studying the 
properties of one of our country's great natural resources, namely, 
timber. 

We are assembled here today to celebrate the first ten years of 
work of this institution, to take an inventory of what has been accom- 
plished, and to interchange views in reference to developing plans for 
a bigger and better future. I think in these days of high taxes, which 
may go even higher, it is well for all of us to become much better ac- 
quainted with our Government, to know what our Government is 
doing for us. 

The tendency of the time, I think, particularly on the part of 
Government and industry, is for these two to work too much apart, 
this being due largely to a lack of familiarity with each other. I be- 
lieve it is particularly necessary for the Government and the indus- 
tries to cooperate more whole-heartedly if our country is to play a 
prominent part in the commerce of the world. In the Forest Products 
Laboratory the Government has established an institution which is 
doing much direct good for all of the wood-using industries and indi- 
rectly is doing good for all of us, because all of us use wood in some 
form or other. On behalf of the Celebration Committee I want to 
thank each and everyone of you for coming here and for the splendid 
and loyal support which you have given. Without your support this 
celebration could not have been held. 

It now gives me great pleasure to present the man who stands at 
the head of the great commonwealth of Wisconsin, which has done so 
much to make this work in studying forest products a successful real- 
ity — Governor Philipp. 



90 The Forest Products Laboratory 



"LEGISLATIVE MEASURES FOR FOREST 

CONSERVATION" 

Emanuel JL. Philipp, Governor of Wisconsin 

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

In behalf of the state I want to bid you welcome, particularly 
those of you who have come from other states and from other sections 
of this state to this meeting. It is an important meeting in many ways 
and one which will result, I am sure, in some good. I welcome you 
to this great university, the capital, and our state in general; and I 
hope that when you leave here the people and the surroundings that 
you have been in will leave a good and lasting impression upon you. 

To me has been assigned the subject of "Legislative Measures for 
Forest Conservation". Before I attempt to speak upon that subject, 
however, I am going to review briefly what I believe to be the waste 
of forest materials during the nineteenth century. I do this because 
I was reared in the state of Wisconsin ; I knew something of the timber 
supply of earlier days ; I have been a lumberman, and I am going to 
speak to you from the lumberman's standpoint, not only of the waste 
in Wisconsin, but of the waste that we have seen in other states, par- 
ticularly in the South, and the new conditions and the better under- 
standing that the people no whave of timber values since they began 
to see it disappear. I think that would better illustrate the necessity 
of legislation for timber conservation than mere legislative discussion 
of the subject. 

The state of Wisconsin, as you all know, had a great timber 
supply. I think back to the sixties when men went to the northern 
pineries, bought forty acres of land, and cut around that forty acres 
for three or four years. That was a common custom. There was so 
much timber in northern Wisconsin that it was the general belief 
among our citizens that the supply was inexhaustible. To that sup- 
ply was added the then only partially -known supply of northern Min- 
nesota and the great supply in the state of Michigan. There was so 
much timber to be had and lumber was necessarily so cheap that only 
the very best qualities could be used and sold for a very common and 



A Decennial Record 91 

ordinary purpose. I recall the time out here on the Wisconsin river, 
where I lived as a small boy, when 1x6x16 fencing had to be free of 
knots. A farmer would not accept a fence board, a cork pine fence 
board, that had a knot in it ; bridge plank had to be practically clear ; 
and so it was with all the lumber that was used at that time. You of 
younger years who have probably had something to do with the wreck- 
ing of old houses have learned that the "piece-stuff", so called among 
lumbermen, used in those days was practically clear material. Now, 
every lumberman knows that when you can sell only clear lumber 
there is a tremendous waste that must be left either at the sawmill or 
in the forest. 

I want to say at the outset, without any thought of criticising 
nature, that nature would have been a great conservator of forest 
products if she had permitted trees to grow square rather than round, 
because the fact that the log had to be square was one of the reasons 
for great waste in those early days. There was no thought of making 
anything of slabs, and the slab burners of the country have been a 
great enemy of conservation. I do not know, nor does anyone know, 
how many billions, aye, countless billions, of good material have gone 
up in the form of heat and smoke through the slab burner, a perfectly 
innocent apparatus, so far as that is concerned. I attribute the loss, 
not to the apparatus itself, but to the market conditions. That part 
of the log was burned because there was no market for it, and the lum- 
berman was compelled to make whatever the people would buy. 

ISTow, the waste has gone on not only in pine and softwoods but 
in the hardwoods as well. I had some experience in the south as a 
lumberman in the manufacture of hardwood, and I am going to give 
you a brief review^ of what I saw there and of what is going on not 
only now, but as far back as the nineties. Prior to the entry of the 
sawmill in the southern forests, there had been a system of timber 
destruction going on in the South, particularly of the very choicest 
white oak, that I thought was a reflection upon this Government. 

Large crews of men in these southern forests were in the business 
of making what is known as pipe staves. The staves were 60 inches 
long and from 4 to 6 inches wide, and could be made only of the very 
best quality of white oak that had a perfectly straight grain. When- 
ever they found a tree with a winding grain they had to leave it, be- 
cause thev could not use a crooked stick. The system was this : They 



92 The Forest Products Laboratory 



made arrangements with the owner, paying, as a rule, $2.00 per tree, 
to cut any tree in the forest that was over 30 inches in diameter — I may 
say any white oak tree. They cut it, and cut off the first bolt. If it 
did not split perfectly straight, they went away and left the tree to rot 
in the forest. By that system no doubt billions of feet of splendid 
white oak were left to waste in the woods. Every sawmill today util- 
izes the tree up to the point where the large limbs appear, or as far 
into the top as you can possibly use it to make a board of any kind. 
Now, they took out of the forests of the South the most beautiful, the 
best, clear white oak, which today would be worth countless millions 
of dollars, and which they sold for $2.00 a tree. I don't know what 
one would have to pay today if one went out to buy it. 

Gum as far back as 1900 had practically no value. I started a 
sawmill in the Yazoo Delta in 1892. I sawed enough so-called red 
gum to build our plant and our tramways, and I sawed possibly 
100,000 feet more than we actually needed. I though I could sell it. 
I could not give it away. Finally I sold it to the planters for $1.00 a 
load to get it out of the yard. The same may be said of white ash. 
There was a splendid growth of what was commonly known as cane 
ash. It was slaughtered for one purpose or another and was sold or 
practically given away. It was used largely for mechanical purposes 
and would be a valuable timber if we had it today. 

The history of hickory is rather interesting to the lumberman. 
I remember when southern hickory with the wide, broad, redheart, or 
what we lumbermen used to call shellbark hickory, had no value at all. 
Everybody wanted what was called second growth hickory from 
Indiana and Ohio. About 1900, people's notions changed in that re- 
gard, because the supply of hickory was about exhausted. They be- 
gan to saw and use shellbark hickory; and about this time I imagine 
the market was glad to take even that kind of hickory. 

The poplar tree had the same history. As long as poplar was 
available you could not sell cottonwood at any price. I recall when 
so-called boxboards sold for $12 per thousand f. o. b. Memphis. 
Standing cottonwood was worth 60 cents a thousand. The supply is 
exhausted. Cottonwood has gone, and now they have come to gum; 
and it is truly unfortunate that so many countless billion feet of gum, 
that beautiful, splendid tree, have gone to waste before we began to 
appreciate its value. The planters of the South destroyed it. They 



A Decennial Record 93 

girdled it, left it standing for a year or two, and then set it on fire. 
It was in their way. The timbermen went by, fortunately, where the 
wood was still standing. The gum tree that was neglected back in 
the nineties is now being put to practical use and has direct commer- 
cial value. That was due to the fact that so much timber of a better 
quality was available during those years, and at a cheaper price, that 
the people refused to use the poorer qualities of timber at any price 
whatever. 

It is unfortunate for the country and unfortunate for the timber 
supply of the country that there was not some control, even back in the 
sixties and seventies when the great timber supply was here; that 
there was not some supervision that compelled the use of what we at 
that time regarded as the class of timber that had no commercial 
value for purposes to which it could be put and save the high-grade 
timber — the timber that we need so much today — for the future. But 
somehow our forefathers did not foresee it. We will not blame them 
for it. It is not a nice thing to speak ill of those who went before us. 
We do not mean it that way, but we can express regret that no form 
of intelligent supervision was undertaken at that time. I am sure 
that many billions of dollars' worth of beautiful timber that was 
slaughtered for nothing might have been saved for the benefit of 
future generations. 

We have reached the point now where we appreciate that. I 
believe that all thinking men appreciate the fact that the question of 
a timber supply for the future has resolved itself into a serious propo- 
sition. It is true that we are using now what we left in years gone by. 
We are using now even the despised hemlock that you could not give 
away in the early days. Nobody would look at it. It was not good 
building material in the past. It may be the best we have now, but, 
compared with what we used to have, it is not good ; nevertheless, we 
have to use it. That is becoming exhausted, however, little by little, 
and in the course of time the hemlock will be in the same situation 
that the cork pine was in, a magnificent supply when we started, but 
completely exhausted. Now, what shall we use as a substitute for 
hemlock? I do not know. We shall have to find some ornery tree 
that we would not use in the past and do not care for now, but it will 
answer the purpose and will look better when we need it. 



94 The Forest Products Laboratory 



How much more could be said upon the question of the timber 
that has disappeared. Let us consider walnut, if you please, for a 
while. There was a time, as most of you know, several older people 
tell us and younger people have read it, that they built rail fences in 
Indiana and Ohio of walnut. Now they are digging out the stumps 
of what was left, veneering it for covering for pianos and beautiful 
furniture. The walnut log is about as scarce as a gold mine now. 
There is very little left indeed. There is a small supply left in Okla- 
homa that is so far away from transportation that one could not 
afford to handle it. White oak is becoming very scarce. I had in my 
day a wide experience in the manufacture of white oak, and I felt 
that I was quite conversant with the supply throughout the United 
States. I made a study of it at that time. A man might offer me 
any price today that he chooses in asking me to furnish a sawmill 
where I could supply him with, say 100,000,000 feet of white oak in 
the next ten years; I should have to tell him frankly, I would not 
know where to go. By white oak I mean the kind that can be used 
for finish, the kind that we used to regard as merchantable white oak 
during the days when we actually had a supply. 

Now there enters into this question the tie supply for railroads. 
There is still quite a lot of white oak available along the Ohio river, 
some in the mountains of Tennessee, some in the state of Mississippi ; 
and as you go on through the South you will find a little patch of 
white oak here and there that the planter has refused to cut down 
because of some sentiment connected with it or because he wanted to 
keep it for ornamental purposes. You will find in Arkansas little 
patches and stands of timber that the lumberman has gone through 
which he left because the trees could not be used for ties and merchant- 
able timber. Vast quantities of ties in this country are being made 
of hemlock and other softwoods, and the railroads are getting along 
with what years ago they thought they could not use. The hemlock 
is going and so are the other woods that they are using, and finally 
some other material must be substituted. 

But to get at what I was asked to speak about. What are we 
going to do to better conserve our forests, our timber supply; and 
what kind of legislation should be enacted to do that? The people 
of this country are not agreed upon this subject. In fact, it is one of 
our peculiarities that we are never quite agreed upon any subject. 



A Decennial Record 95 

and there was never greater evidence of that than now. However, 
this state has had some experience in reforesting. We have attempted, 
and we have made an honest attempt, to replant some of our cut-over 
timberlands. Now, I have this to say about it. As a state policy it is 
not a possible thing today. 

The cost of the land, the cost of planting, the cost of the care that 
the plant needs, the taxes that the state loses provided it reserves this 
land for forestry purposes, make the price, if we compute it up to the 
time that the trees might have become merchantable, so high as to 
make it an impracticable thing. Nor is it, in my judgment, a state 
duty. Let us assume that the state of Wisconsin would plant in the 
northern part of our state a million acres of young pine. I do not 
know what it would cost to do it, nor does anyone else know. The 
best we could do is to make an estimate which would be liable to be 
wrong, but we would have to wait at least 50 years before we could get 
any merchantable timber. Now. when that timber comes into the 
market it is not for the state of Wisconsin alone. If it were, it would 
not be a supply for the country, and what we need is a supply for the 
whole nation. So, then, those who* agitate that the state ought to 
undertake reforestation would do it upon the basis that it is a state 
duty merely because we at one time had a forest, and that these states 
that at one time had forests should now undertake this great business 
proposition, this great speculative investment, in order that the whole 
country might have a timber supply. That does not appeal to me. 
It is not a state duty, it is a national duty. The national government 
should recognize it promptly and take hold of the future supply in 
an efficient manner. The timber supply of the future, the one which 
is produced, should be the supply of the entire country, and whatever 
it costs should be the expenditure of all of the people. There are 
many states in the Union that have never had any forests. Why 
should they come in on a timber supply that costs them nothing? 
No private citizen, I am sure, would like to invest his money in an 
enterprise that could not possibly, under the most favorable circum- 
stances, give him any returns in less than 50 years. If we go into 
national production of hardwoods, why, we have to wait perhaps as 
much as 100 years. 

In my experience as a lumberman I cut an oak tree in Missis- 
sippi that was 76 inches in diameter, 52 feet to the first limb. It had 



96 The Forest Products Laboratory 

352 rings, and if we assume that each ring represents a year's growth, 
and no one has been willing to say that it represents any less than one 
year, then the minimum age of that tree was 352 years. That would 
have been a long time investment. So it would be with the hardwoods 
we plant; and it is not for the state of Wisconsin alone to wait, but 
the nation should wait. It can afford to because it is for the general 
good. 

Now, I would recommend to Congress, if I were to recommend 
anything and they were willing to listen, that they provide for the 
purpose millions of acres of land, not merely cut-over lands, not 
merely land that produces perhaps scrubby timber, whatever kind it 
is, but some good agricultural land with it that will produce the hard- 
woods. We all know, who have had experience in the forest, that the 
oak and ash and the other hardwood timbers that we must have for 
mechanical purposes are not going to grow on a sand heap. They 
need good soil. The nation must sacrifice some good agricultural 
soil if it proposes to be a successful timber raiser. The government 
should provide the land and set it aside for that particular purpose. 
It should firmly stand against the demands of the agriculturist and 
say to the people that this land must be used for this particular pur- 
pose, that it is just as important to raise this crop as any other crop. 
It should be the rule in the future that whenever a tree is cut down 
a tree should be planted in its place, and that another tree be planted 
wherever there is room to produce one. And then we must look after 
the crop of trees. We must protect it against destruction by fire, 
against trespassers, etc. 

Unless we go into the problem in an intelligent and practical way, 
of course, the whole project will be a failure. So then, those of us 
who are interested in the reproduction of the forest, and who appre- 
ciate that we must begin it now, ought to do our work not in the States, 
because I think it is useless, but go to the halls of Congress and im- 
press Congress with the importance of this work. 

The lumbermen of this country, perhaps, have the best conception 
of the value of timber and its fast disappearance. As an organization 
interested in replacing what they have cut down, interested in putting 
back the trees they have taken to the mill and sawed into lumber, they 
should go to Congress and impress Congress with the importance of 
the subject, in order to get the necessary appropriation and the nee- 



A Decennial Record 97 



essaiy legislation to go into this question of reproducing our forests 
in an intelligent way. Unless we do that we shall soon be out of 
timber. 

Talk about reforesting the arid lands of the West ! Now, fellow 
citizens, I do not know all about that, but it does seem to me that a 
section of the country or a land that never produced anything more 
than a little scrub sugar pine will never produce anything else. If the 
country must wait for that kind of timber culture, I am afraid we will 
find ourselves very much out of lumber in the future. That type of 
land which does not produce anything left to itself, where nature 
has not planted the seed and produced it, that is not going to do any- 
thing under cultivation. It has no moisture, and there is nothing in 
the soil that will make it grow. It is so in our own state. We have 
sections here in Wisconsin that never raised good timber. There is 
nothing substantial in the soil to support the tree. It raises scrub 
stuff, scrub pine, Jack pine, and other pines of that variety. You 
must wait 50 years for that. So we must make up our minds that we 
must set aside soil that has substance enough in it to support a tree; 
otherwise we cannot have it. 

I want to say in conclusion that I fully approve and have been 
in great sympathy with the work of the Forest Products Laboratory. 
Its business has been to find new uses for timber that heretofore have 
not been considered satisfactory for any particular use. It has ren- 
dered a great service in that respect. It has also found many ways to 
use what was heretofore regarded as absolute waste around and about 
the sawmill. It was high time that somebody devoted some time to 
that, and in that respect whatever they have accomplished has been 
of real use. 

We must conserve, if you please, everything there is in a tree 
that can be used. You cannot throw away a six inch slab ; you have 
got to make some use of it. They say of the packer that he makes use 
of every part of the hog excepting the squeal. We must make use of 
every part of the tree excepting the noise it makes when it falls. There 
must be a real spirit of conservation produced among our people; 
they should be able and willing to use everything that is usable. The 
timber of today ought to be cut and used with reference to the use that 
it is to be put to. We should under no circumstances be permitted to 
use a good pine board, for instance, for a meat box that renders serv- 



98 The Forest Products Laboratory 

ice but once and then goes into the furnace. That should no longer 
be permitted. Whether we can do that, whether we can regulate our 
lumber supply to that extent, I can not say, but it would be a right 
step towards conservation. You know what we really need some- 
times is a king ; we need a lumber king anyway, a man who could tell 
the people to do with what they have and compel them to do it. If we 
had that privilege we could conserve what we have. 

I thank you for your time and I trust you will have a pleasant 
visit. 

Remarks by the Chairman, Mr. H. F. Weiss, Following 
Governor Philipp's Speech 

I venture to say that you gentlemen who are from our sister 
states wish you could have a Governor who understands the forestry 
program and problems as well as our Governor. That is just the 
way we do things in Wisconsin. (Applause.) Governor Philipp, I 
thank you for your splendid talk. 

In connection with every business organization there are two words 
used which I have seldom, if ever, seen applied to an educational in- 
stitution. They are "quality" and "service". You gentlemen who are 
engaged in business know full well to what I refer. The hours that 
you have spent and are spending in improving the quality of your 
product and the splendid service which your company renders are 
things which you are interested in. If these terms were to be applied 
to an educational institution, I know of none which lay better claims 
to them than the University of Wisconsin. The high quality of the 
University's work is reflected not only in the faculty and its teachers, 
but in the great student body which it sends out every year. The high 
ideals of the University are not locked up in the text books nor in the 
class rooms, but in this State they reach out to the shop, to the factory, 
and to the legislature. 

I think one of the biggest surprises of my life was when I first 
came to Wisconsin from my old home in New Jersey and saw farmers 
of fifty or more years of age walking down the streets of Madison 
with a text book under their arms, studying agriculture. This variety 
of farmer was totally unknown to me, and was not existent in the 
range bounded by the State of New Jersey. Through my years of 



A Decennial Record 99 

living here it has been very evident to me why the Wisconsin farmer 
is able to make his farm pay while my old farmer friends in New 
Jersey are still paying for the mortgage on their farms. 

I think the Forest Products Laboratory is particularly fortunate 
in being identified with such an institution as the University of Wis- 
consin, because it furnishes an inspiring example of not only how to 
gain knowledge, but, of what is of equally great importance, how to 
apply that knowledge. 

It gives me great pleasure to present to you the man who stands 
at the head of this great seat of learning — President Birge. 



A Decennial Record 101 

TRANSLATING KNOWLEDGE INTO POWER 

E. A. Birge, President of the University of Wisconsin 

Mr. Weiss and Members of this Convention: 

I suppose that I have been asked to speak here in two capacities. 
In the first place, I address you as a representative of the University, 
whose guests you are in some sense today, since you are meeting with 
us in the University College of Agriculture. We meet to celebrate 
the completion of the first ten years of the life of an institution which 
was established by the government of the United States in coopera- 
tion with the State and the University of Wisconsin. It is an insti- 
tution to whose prosperity and work this State has continued to make 
contributions, small, indeed almost negligible, in comparison to the 
total budget of the institution, negligible in comparison to that con- 
tribution of the United States government. Nevertheless, they have 
been contributions which carried with them the hearty good will of the 
State and of the University. And we hope that we have also contrib- 
uted something of the spiritual aid and fellowship which a university 
can give to an institution of research. We, ourselves, have received 
much from the presence of the laboratory with us, and we hope that 
we have been able, in our turn, to give something to it. So I welcome 
you, as representing an institution of the type which ought to gather 
about universities, carrying on work of a kind which is represented 
within the university as well as in its associated institutions. I wel- 
come you with especial warmth as you are present here to celebrate 
a decade of distinguished success in services and investigations so 
fundamental to the advance of the science and art of forestry. 

In the second place I am here to speak on the subject assigned to 
me by Mr. Weiss and Mr. Winslow — Translating Knowledge Into 
Power. You have just had a most vivid sketch of the history of the 
lumber resources of the country and of their present situation from 
Governor Philipp, who speaks to you not only from the point of view 
of a statesman, but also from the point of view of one who has spent, 
years in the industry that you represent. You will hear, after I have 
talked to you, a vivid presentation of the Forest Products Laboratory 



102 The Forest Products Laboratory 

itself and its specific work from its director, Mr. Winslow. So, if I 
interpret rightly the subject assigned to me, I am expected to sand- 
wich, as it were, between these two vivid and interesting stories a little 
of what might perhaps be called "highbrow stuff", a little of that sort 
of talk which is supposed to belong to the traditional university. 

When Governor Philipp was telling us the story of lumber, he 
spoke of the indifference of the last generation to the situation with 
which we are now confronted. It is easy for us now to see that our 
parents were blind to conditions which the future was sure to bring. 
I do not believe that we should criticize them too severely for this 
blindness, for I suppose that our descendants, fifty or a hundred years 
hence, will look back to us and will wonder at our blindness just as 
we wonder at the ignorance of our fore-fathers. However blind they 
may have been, they were not without excuse, for the conditions under 
which they lived were wholly new in the history of the world. No pre- 
ceding century ever saw a growth of population in the least compara- 
ble with that of the 19th century in Western Europe, and especially 
in our own country. And still more, no preceding century saw that 
rapid increase of drafts on natural resources which was characteristic 
of the 19th century, and especially of its later years. If, therefore, 
our fathers did not foresee the future, it was because the story of the 
past by which alone they could conj ecture the conditions of the future, 
did not enable them to foresee them ; and we ought, therefore, not to 
blame them for ignorance. We, however, are in a totally different 
position, and if we do not foresee and provide for the future it will not 
be because of ignorance, but because of indifference and slothfulness. 

In our use of forest products we have been drawing on the balance 
of resources which has accumulated during the remote past. We can 
now see very plainly that in no long time this balance will be exhausted, 
and that if we draw a check on nature's bank, it will be returned to us 
promptly marked "No funds". The western world has never been in 
this situation before. It is a wholly new thing that a great people like 
ours should be face to face with the situation that it must depend for 
its supply of wood upon the annual growth. It is a new thing that a 
people should be placed in a position where the annual growth of tim- 
ber will be the substantial limit of the amount which that people 
can use. 



A Decennial Record 103 

This situation is not confined to the forest products. In all of 
those resources which are produced by the earth the same situation is 
arising or has already come to pass. We can not easily increase the 
area of productive land or of utilizable water. We must make the 
annual production of land and water suffice for our needs. 

As this situation begins to become manifest, we take various 
measures in order to reduce the depletion of our balance in nature's 
bank; in order also to increase the annual production. We put up 
restrictions, both legal and moral, upon the use of the products of 
nature. We go still farther and endeavor to increase the annual 
income of these productions. We set up fish hatcheries ; we produce 
improved varieties of seed so that the net increase of the land and 
water may be made larger and that there may be a greater amount 
in this annual contribution of the earth to our support; we try to 
utilize waste — or what we once regarded as waste; we handle the 
making of coke so that what were formerly waste products are util- 
ized ; we overhaul the culm bank of the coal mine and we rework the 
tailings of other mines. In all these ways and in many more we 
attempt to check the depletion of our natural resources. 

In the use of forest products we increase our balance, as the Gov- 
ernor has told us, by employing kinds and varieties and sizes of wood 
which only a few years ago were regarded as entirely worthless. All 
of these methods are necessary and right, and they all help to prolong 
the period during which the balance in nature's bank may be available 
to us. They aid also in increasing the annual supply of the products 
which nature is putting forth for our use ; but, as the Governor's story 
showed us, these means are inadequate — inadequate in every direction 
and particularly inadequate in securing a permanent supply of forest 
products. 

This raises the particular point which I was asked to talk about 
this morning. I am asked to call your attention to another great asset, 
another great resource of a civilized people, which is being used 
slightly and very imperfectly, which is continually accumulating, 
which is capable of very great use; out of which will come great saving 
and great addition to natural resources and a correspondingly great 
prolongation and advancement of the prosperity of the people. I 
am speaking of the stock of scientific knowledge which has accumu- 
lated during, let us say, the past half or three-quarters of a century. 



104 The Forest Products Laboratory 

Look back at the condition of science in that earlier period to 
which the Governor referred in his talk about the forests. We cele- 
brated here in Wisconsin a few weeks ago the fiftieth anniversary of 
the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, founded in 1870. We talked 
about the men who were the fathers of that Academy. There was 
Lapham, a surveyor of Milwaukee; there was Dr. Hoy, a busy phy- 
sician, in wide practice at Racine. This was the type of man who first 
brought science to Wisconsin. Fifty years ago, science was mainly 
in the hands of people busily engaged in other matters ; that was true 
all over this country. Science was a side issue for people whose work 
and thought were chiefly given to other things. Since that time the 
situation has changed completely. In those days there were single 
individuals working at the exploration of nature, many of them doing 
this as a task for leisure hours; today we have an army of people who 
are devoting all their time to the exploration of nature and are deriv- 
ing their living from this work. Thus the knowledge hich these men 
and women are bringing together, the knowledge which they have 
been bringing together during the past generation, has been accumu- 
lating at a rate which one may almost call tremendous. We look 
with surprise at the rapid increase of population during the past half 
century ; we look with even greater surprise at the enormous increase 
of wealth during the same period. But neither of these facts is in any 
way comparable to the increase of scientific knowledge during the 
same years. Here, then, is an enormous asset which has been grow- 
ing rapidly, increasing indeed at a geometric rate, and of which by far 
the greater portion has accumulated during the memory of men here 
present. It is an asset whose increase is still going on at a rate which 
is constantly accelerated. To this asset there are contributing, not 
merely a few men, not merely a few great men, but the labors of hun- 
dreds of thousands of men, working each in his own field of explora- 
tion. 

This, then, is a new situation in the history of the world. It has 
made necessary the development of a new type of profession, of a new 
type of institution. It has made necessary men and institutions who 
are to mediate between knowledge in this sense of the word and prac- 
tical life, between scientific knowledge and affairs. This situation has 
brought about the establishment of institutions of various types and 
in various directions. Such are agricultural colleges and experiment 



A Decexxial Record 105 

stations ; such are institutions like the United States Bureau of Stand- 
ards ; and such, also, is this institution in whose honor we meet today — 
the Forest Products Laboratory. 

It is noteworthy that these institutions have developed to greater 
size and in greater number in those relations which have to do with 
the soil and its products. Here we find the largest number of men 
whose business it is to take the knowledge which has been accumulated 
by the explorer of nature and to bring it into direct relation with 
affairs and with human life. 

Let me take an illustration from the activities of the department 
of agriculture and outside of the forestry service. Consider for a 
moment the student of soils. His work is dependent upon the knowl- 
edge which has been brought together in past years in the department 
of chemistry, both organic and inorganic; it depends also on knowl- 
edge which is embodied in the sciences of bacteriology, of botany, of 
zoology ; and in addition to these specific sciences he needs the princi- 
ples which haA r e been wrought out in physics and in many other de- 
partments. The definite work of the student of soils is the application 
of knowledge and of principles which have been wrought out else- 
where. These he takes and applies to the conditions found in the soil. 

There are two points to be noted in regard to this work. In the 
first place scientific knowledge can not apply itself, nor can it be 
directly carried over from laboratory to field. For the conditions 
under which this knowledge has been wrought out are widely different 
from those in which it is applied. The student in the laboratory makes 
his own conditions of experiment, and it is only as he is able to define 
and to limit the conditions of nature that he is able to secure the 
results for which he is seeking. But the student of soils must carry 
this knowledge over into the world of affairs, into the complex situa- 
tion which nature offers to us. Knowledge must be set to work under 
nature and therefore under conditions totally different from those of 
the laboratory. The material conditions of the soil must be consid- 
ered, the intelligence of those who are working it, and especially the 
relation of cost and of profit to the processes which are set up. All of 
these innumerable items which the scientific explorer neglects, and 
ought to neglect, must be carefully considered by those who are apply- 
ing knowledge, since they furnish the conditions under which knowl- 



106 The Forest Products Laboratory 



edge must be set to work, if it is to produce results that are useful to 
the people. 

So it is with the Forest Products Laboratory. It is founded to 
bridge over the gap which lies between experiment and manufacturer ; 
it must bridge the gap between laboratory and factory; in a word, 
it must bridge over the great gap which lies between knowledge and 
life, between knowledge and affairs. And this is not all ; for it is not 
a simple matter to set knowledge at work under the conditions of na- 
ture. The representative of applied J science does not merely take 
knowledge wrought out by others and put it to work under new con- 
ditions. The knowledge which is present as science is not stated in 
the form in which it can be used, since the statement does not take into 
account the complex conditions under which it is to be set to work. 
The representative of applied science, therefore, does not merely apply 
knowledge to new conditions but he translates that knowledge into 
those new forms in which alone it can be applied. 

Thus the subject assigned to me is justified. The function of an 
institution like the Forest Products Laboratory is primarily the trans- 
lation of knowledge into new terms and into such forms that it can be 
set to practical work in affairs. Such a translation involves not merely 
a knowledge of what other people have found out, but involves also 
scientific study and research itself. It involves, therefore, not merely 
an application of old knowledge but the development of a new sort 
of knowledge; the development of knowledge which will work under 
conditions which are set not only by the tangled web of nature within 
which it is working, but also by the commercial and social conditions 
of the men on whom the practical success of applied science must 
depend. 

Thus, as you see, out of the enormous increase of knowledge on 
the one side, out of the need for its application on the other side, there 
have arisen professions like those which are represented here today, 
and finally institutions like the Forest Products Laboratory, in which 
these professions find a home and an opportunity for service. 

I will not trouble you with many illustrations. Let me take one 
or two from the work of the laboratory. It is necessary to find new 
types of wood and new forms of wood if airplanes are to be quickly 
and economically constructed. Hence there arises a need for water- 
proof glue. It would seem at first that such a need could be easily 



A Decennial Record 107 

satisfied. We have only to go into the market and purchase what is 
offered. But as a matter of fact if such an adhesive is to be developed 
it will only be after scientific study and research which will bring in 
the accumulated knowledge from half a dozen sciences, and the men 
who make that research will need high scientific qualifications on their 
own part. Only thus can a produce be discovered which is worthy to 
put before the people and a product on which the people of the coun- 
try can depend. 

Or take another problem which arises not only in connection with 
the manufacture of airplanes but in a hundred directions involving the 
utilization of wood — the matter of kiln-drying. It seems at first a 
very easy thing to put wood into a kiln and dry it artificially. Yet you 
know better than I that the man who goes to work on that principle 
will rather spoil wood than produce good lumber. It is only as the 
complex conditions and problems involved in kiln-drying are appre- 
ciated and thoroughly mastered that success is reached. Only as 
there are scientifically worked out processes by which the different 
varieties of wood may be treated, each according to its own kind and 
condition, can success be secured, even in a process which looks at first 
so simple. And if in such matters as these, which seem to be simple, 
scientific study and scientific organization are necessary, much more 
is the same necessity present in the far more complex problems which 
are involved in the production of paper pulp, in the prevention of de- 
cay of timber, in the other infinitely varied uses to which timber is put. 

I need not give you more illustrations, for these are enough to 
illustrate the principle which underlies the subject assigned to me — 
the need of institutions like the Forest Products Laboratory, which 
shall concern themselves with the translation of knowledge into power 
and so shall make available for the benefit of the public along specific 
lines the enormously valuable asset which the world possesses in the 
accumulated treasures of science. 

This necessity the government is trying to meet along one line 
through the Forest Products Laboratory, an institution which medi- 
ates between knowledge and affairs. I congratulate the laboratory 
on the way it has performed this duty during the past ten years; I 
congratulate it for the work which it has done itself; I congratulate 
it as a part of the great working force of the Department of Agricul- 
ture; I congratulate it especially on the part which it has taken here 



108 The Forest Products Laboratory 

in Wisconsin for our benefit as well as for the benefit of other states, 
on the part which it has taken in the work which our University on its 
side is trying to do, not only for its own state, but as a part of the 
national system of education. 

But I can not confine what I have to say to a review of the past 
ten years. Let us look to the future, first looking back to an earlier 
day. Look back, if you please, to 1876, when the United States cele- 
brated its first centennial. How did we look at the forest resources 
of Wisconsin at that time? Xow look forward to the next centennial 
in 1976 and tell me what will be the situation then and what the neces- 
sity for institutions like the Forest Products Laboratory? We need 
not indeed look backward and forward so far. Look back less than 
twenty -five years to the state semi-centennial in 1898 and look forward 
to the centennial of the state. How have our forests disappeared in 
less than a quarter of a century ; what will be their condition less than 
thirty years from now, in 1948, in a year when the large majority of 
those who are here this morning will take part in the centennial cele- 
bration of the state? Upon what will the prosperity of this state de- 
pend at a period so short a time ahead of us as thirty years? Will it 
not be dependent upon the greatly enlarged work and success of insti- 
tutions — of the Forest Products Laboratory and of other institutions 
akin to it; and upon the intelligent and vigorous utilization, by the 
people, of the results that they work out? The scientific knowledge 
which has accumulated in the past, and which will accumulate with 
even greater rapidity during the coming years, must be translated 
into terms of power by men who make it their profession so to treat 
knowledge and by institutions which are established for the purpose 
of setting knowledge to work in affairs. This they must not do in any 
rule-of-thumb way, not by means of prescriptive rules ; but they must 
convert knowledge into the living and growing contribution of the 
human mind to the prosperity of the human race; they must translate 
the knowledge gained by the explorer of nature into the power of 
applied science. 

Remarks by Mr. Weiss Following President Birge's Speech 

I hope very much that those of you who have come from out of 
the city may find it possible to stay in Madison long enough to look 



A Decennial Record 109 

also into the work of the University of Wisconsin and to see for your- 
selves the way in which the university has been translating its knowl- 
edge into power along the lines which President Birge has so kindly 
pointed out to us in his very interesting talk. I do not believe his 
talk was at all too "highbrow" for the friends of the laboratory, as 
I am personally acquainted with many of them and know they can 
grasp it and digest it. I thank you, President Birge. 

We now come to what I might call the third layer of this sand- 
wich, as President Birge has pointed it out, and it has been somewhat 
of a problem for me to know what to say in the way of presenting him. 
He does not need any introduction. I have not been able to talk 
about his work or his institution because he is going to do that; and 
I cannot talk about him personally because I know him too well for 
that, and, furthermore, it would be rather unfair for me to take ad- 
vantage of his natural modesty. So, after thinking it over, I have 
decided I would follow the advice I once saw written on the black- 
board of our laboratory. It said, "When in deep water keep your 
mouth shut." 

I am now going to state that we will have the pleasure of listening 
to the man who has worked so loyally and ably to make the Forest 
Products Laboratory the institution you will see today, and, of course, 
that refers to none other than C. P. Winslow, best known to all his 
personal friends as "Cap". 




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A Decennial Record ill 



THE FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY 
Carlile P. Window, Director, Forest Products Laboratory 

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

It affords me a great deal of pleasure — more than I can really 
well express to you — to extend to you a most cordial and hearty wel- 
come to this commemoration of the completion of the first ten-year 
period of service of the Forest Products Laboratory. I wish particu- 
larly to express my appreciation of the work and efforts of the Decen- 
nial Committee which has planned and arranged for this event, to those 
friends and supporters of the laboratory who by their generous con- 
tributions have made it possible, and to all of you here who are thus 
lending your support and encouragement to the organization. 

I am particularly appreciative of the untiring and effective 
efforts of the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Howard F. Weiss, 
known to all of you in previous days while Director of the Laboratory, 
and I can only regret that Mr. McGarvey Cline, the first Director of 
the organization, has found it impossible so to arrange his plans that 
he could also be here. It was my good fortune to work first under the 
stimulating guidance of these men when the Forest Products Labora- 
tory was but a thought, and it is due to their imagination, foresight, 
and persistence that the laboratory was conceived, organized and put 
upon an effective working basis. 

Rudyard Kipling once wrote: 

"Twelve hundred million men are spread 
About this Earth, and I and you 
Wonder, when you and I are dead, 
What will those luckless millions do?" 

If we change the closing lines of this stanza to read : 

"and I and you, 
Wonder, when all the trees are gone, 
What will those luckless millions do?" 



112 The Forest Products Laboratory 

the kindly sarcasm of the Kipling humor disappears, and we are con- 
fronted with a question of vast importance for our consideration and 
action. 

The importance of the broad problem would possibly be more 
sharply recognized if we view the situation from a somewhat less altru- 
istic and international standpoint and consider only the 100 million 
people within the borders of the United States. Consider for a 
moment the extent to which forest products enter into the comforts, 
conveniences and pleasures of many, if not all, of this vast multitude 
of people. You rise in the morning from your wooden bed and walk 
about on the wooden floor of your wooden home ; you bathe with soap 
probably containing or produced in part with a product from wood, 
annoint your face with a lotion containing alcohol very likely pro- 
duced from wood paste, put on your hose manufactured from wood 
fibre, step into your leather shoes requiring tannin from wood for 
their manufacture, and then proceed to breakfast where you sit upon 
a wooden chair, in front of a wooden table and read the daily news 
from a paper made of wood pulp, printed with ink manufactured from 
a forest product, and received over telegraph lines supported by 
wooden poles. If reasonably prosperous, you now journey to your 
office in an automobile with wooden spokes in the wheels, probably 
travel at least part of the way over a wooden pavement and finally 
settle yourself in your office surrounded by wooden trimmings and 
furniture and dig into the daily letters and reports which are again 
dependent upon the supply of wood pulp paper. If, by chance, you 
have occasion to travel to Madison to attend the celebration of the 
Forest Products Laboratory you board a wooden railroad car (or at 
least one made to appear like wood) and travel over tracks supported 
by wooden cross-ties. The food which you eat, the clothes which you 
wear, the materials and supplies necessary for the comforts of your 
home and the conduct of your business, all are received in containers, 
some of wood and some of fibre but practically all of forest products. 

These accustomed comforts and privileges of existence are de- 
pendent upon a very wide variety of industries, dependent to greater 
or less degree upon forest products. These supply useful and neces- 
sary occupation to some million or more people. They include twenty 
per cent of the 276,000 manufacturing plants in the country. 



A Decexxial Record 113 

The future of these varied and tremendous industries is depend- 
ent upon a supply of raw material — their ultimate and greatest suc- 
cess dependent upon the wise selection and most efficient handling of 
this raw material. This means that authentic knowledge of the prop- 
erties of the material and how to most efficiently utilize them is, in the 
long run, essential to their continuation on a sound economic basis. 

These considerations inevitably lead us to the forests, and here 
again we are confronted with a demand and necessity for knowledge 
of the properties and possible uses and utilization of the many avail- 
able species. Without it, it is impossible to know which trees to cut 
or which to grow, what is their value, how best to utilize them, or what 
to do with the enormous quantity of waste material. 

It was such broad conceptions as these that led to the development 
of the Forest Products Laboratory which was established in 1910 by 
the Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, in 
cooperation with the University of Wisconsin. Federal appropria- 
tions maintain the organization and provide necessary supplies and 
equipment. The University provides the buildings and light, heat 
and power, at least within certain limitations. It is a pleasure to be 
able here to express to the President, Board of Regents and members 
of the University Faculty my appreciation of the whole-hearted and 
effective cooperation which has been so generously extended to the 
laboratory throughout its existence. This was of particualar value 
and importance during the war emergency period, when the expan- 
sions in our organization made it necessary to utilize in part or in whole 
some eight additional University buildings. I wish to make particular 
acknowledgment to the College of Agriculture, whose buildings were 
not only largely used by our organization during the war but several 
of which are still in use for this purpose. 

The Forest Products Laboratory is called an institution of indus- 
trial research. Its object is to acquire, disseminate and apply useful 
knowledge of the properties, uses, and methods of utilization of all 
forest products. This is a broad field of almost unlimited scope— the 
surface has, as yet, been but partially scratched. 

It has been said that research is primarily a matter of men "who 
work upon the frontiers of knowledge, conquering new domains". Re- 
search may be done — as a matter of fact is done — individually, sepa- 
rately, disconnectedly, and progress of some sort will, undoubtedly, 



114 The Forest Products Laboratory 

result. But to organize, correlate, co-ordinate and direct such effort 
must, in the long run, bring greater progress, in less time, with less 
expense, and greater saving. 

This has been the guiding thought in the development of the 
Forest Products Laboratory — the systematic acquiring of useful 
knowledge that may be transformed into the power that builds up 
American industries. With the exception of a similar and much 
smaller institution in Canada, it is the only institution of its sort in 
existence. However, the importance of such work is becoming gen- 
erally and, in fact, internationally recognized. The Australian gov- 
ernment now has under way the development of a forest products 
laboratory and similar developments are under way by the British 
government in India, and, to a very limited extent, in South Africa. 
Former members of our staff have, within the year, left to take up such 
work in these countries. Norway also has similar plans under devel- 
opment although they have not, as yet, progressed as far as in Aus- 
tralia and India. 

Work of this character requires the services of highly trained 
specialists along widely varying lines. The forester's knowledge of 
tree growth is necessary to the engineer studying the mechanical prop- 
erties of various trees in order that he may wisely select for study those 
species which are or may become available for use; the engineer's 
knowledge is necessary to the physicist engaged in problems of drying 
wood in order that the effect of such treatment on the mechanical prop- 
erties may not be overlooked; the pathologist's knowledge is necessary 
both to the engineer and physicist in order to determine the effect of 
decay on the properties under investigation and equally is his knowl- 
edge necessary to the chemist pursuing his work on the development 
of durable water-resistant glues, on preservatives to prevent decay, 
and on prevention of decay in pulp wood and wood pulp. The knowl- 
edge of the dendrologist is necessary to all in order that the identity 
of the species under study may be determined with certainty and in 
order that peculiarities of their structural anatomy may not be over- 
looked. 

An organization of such men provided with proper equipment, 
materials and facilities for work cannot, in the long run, fail to secure 
results of value. It is such an organization that we have attempted 
to develop here. I shall make no attempt, at this time, to describe it 



A Decennial Record 115 

in further detail. You will, this afternoon, get a first hand compre- 
hensive idea of its present scope. Suffice it to say that prior to 1917 
it composed a personnel of approximately 80, expanding during the 
next 18 months to 500 and at present including slightly less than half 
that number. The aggregate expenditures over the entire ten-year 
period are in the neighborhood of two million dollars — a yearly average 
of about $200,000. This is but an insignificant sum when the breadth 
of the field and magnitude of the problems are considered. The re- 
sults of much of the work cannot, of course, be quoted in dollars and 
cents. Certain other results, however, enable the use of such a yard 
measure, and a few of them will, I am sure, serve to convince you that 
organized industrial research is a paying proposition. 

For example: The building and construction trade uses annu- 
ally approximately five and one-half billion feet for structural pur- 
poses where strength is important. This material is worth roughly 
$200,000,000. Investigations at the Forest Products Laboratory on 
the mechanical properties of American woods have given knowledge 
permitting a twenty per cent increase in allowable working stresses 
in many structural timbers. If the results are actually applied to only 
ten per cent of such material, the annual saving will equal $4,000,000. 

The claims for loss and damage to commodities in shipment actu- 
ally paid by the railroads amount to $100,000,000 annually. Proper 
nailing, developed and recommended by the Forest Products Labora- 
tory, and adopted by the National Association of Box Manufactur- 
ers, and through them by many companies and shippers, if conserva- 
tively estimated to save but one per cent of this loss, means a total 
saving of $1,000,000 a year. 

Work on water-resistant glues and plywood for airplanes carried 
on at the laboratory during the war emergency alone saved the War 
Department $6,000,000 in their procurement of such material during 
a twelve months period. 

Investigations carried on at the laboratory during the past year 
regarding the use of hull fiber and second cut cotton linters for pulp 
and paper have made available 200,000 tons for this purpose and have 
resulted in the establishment of large plants with potential production 
of 300 tons per day and an annual sales value of $15,000,000. 



116 The Forest Products Laboratory 

Improved methods of turpentining developed by the Forest 
Service resulted in increased yields and less injury to timber with net 
savings aggregating $4,000,000 per year. 

These few examples alone show combined annual increase in 
production and decrease in waste aggregating $30,000,000. They 
should serve to crystallize for you the value and importance of indus- 
trial research. Results, of course, cannot be obtained over night. 
Patience is required and efforts are not always quickly crowned with 
success — but it cannot be doubted that over any reasonable period of 
years, economies resulting from organized research so greatly exceed 
the expense involved that there can be no question of its desirability. 

The lumber and wood-using industries represent some of the 
greatest and most important manufacturing and industrial develop- 
ments of the country. Of the nation's industries they rank second in 
invested capital, first in labor employed, and second in annual value 
of products. The Forest Products Laboratory is the only institution 
of organized research engaged upon the problems of these industries, 
and those problems yet untouched and unexplored are many and of 
far reaching importance. What, for example, of the possibilities 
which may result from the development of permanently durable and 
waterproof glues or adhesives and their application to the use of 
material too small or of too poor a grade for other service — what of 
their application to forest economics through the increased value thus 
given to small second growth material? What of the sulphite-pulp 
liquor problem involving the possibility of utilizing the 55 per cent 
of the wood fed into the pulp digesters and now lost in the waste sul- 
phite liquors? What of the problems of packing, boxing, and crating 
of various materials and commodities for shipment and transporta- 
tion when conservative estimates show a possible theoretical annual 
savins' to the country of three hundred million dollars ? What of the 
need for improvement and the method of treatment and handling of 
piling and dock timbers in water infested with marine borers which 
destroy the piling within 18 months after placement and cause an 
annual replacement aggregating millions of dollars in the various 
harbors of the nation ? What of the waning supply of hardwoods and 
the need for authentic knowledge of the properties of South American 
and other foreign woods as compared to those of our own country for 
which they may ultimately be needed as substitutes? 



A Decennial Record 117 

Slight progress and success applied to only a small per cent of 
even the limited field above suggested, will result in annual savings 
greater than the total expenses for the entire Forest Products Lab- 
oratory for the past ten-year period. Such savings, of course, will 
not result only from research within the confines of the laboratory; 
but will necessitate the dissemination and application of these results 
in industrial service. Your help is particularly needed in this phase 
of the work. 




NEW BOXES FOR OLD — SOME WAR TIME BOX WORK OF THE LABORATORY 

Trench Mortar Shell Boxes 4 . 7 Inch Shell Boxes 

U. S. Army Rifles Box 
Browning- Automatic Rifles Box 



A Decennial Record 119 

INTRODUCTORY SPEECH 

Burr TV. Jones, Toastmaster 

You had an opportunity today to witness an exhibition such as 
you would not find any other place on the face of the globe. It is true 
that several people have imitations of our laboratory. They have one 
in Canada ; they have one in Australia ; Great Britain has started two 
or three in far off India and Africa ; but none of them can offer such 
an exhibition or compare with such an exhibit as you have seen today. 
This was the original Forest Products Laboratory. For some time 
it was the only one. 

It had a very modest beginning — several gentlemen worked here 
in two or three rooms out in Wingra Park. They corresponded with 
some others in other parts of the country. Some of the wise men in 
Washington — there are always a few wise men in Washington — be- 
came interested, and our Board of Regents, who were always pro- 
gressive, became interested ; and it was finally arranged, as you heard 
today, that the Regents would erect a building and that the govern- 
ment at Washington would furnish the money to maintain it. So the 
work went on. 

We here in Madison did not hear very much about it until we got 
into the war, and then we began to hear a good deal. We used to hear 
that the government had recognized its child and appreciated the 
great service which the Forests Products Laboratory could render. 
They had a comparatively small number of men on the force, but dur- 
ing the war they had five or six hundred. Instead of one building 
which they had occupied they then occupied the most of nine or ten, 
and they were aiding the government in many ways. 

I suppose that the human mind can hardly conceive of the vast 
amount of shipping which it was necessary for our government to 
begin to send over the seas. I can best illustrate it perhaps by the 
incident of the boy who was told by his teacher to find out from his 
father what a million dollars meant. The boy went to his father and 
asked him. The father was rather amused and interested at the pre- 
cocity of his boy and answered, not very prudently, "A million dol- 



120 The Forest Products Laboratory 

lars! A million dollars is a hell of a lot." The hoy gave his teacher 
this valuable information in the language of his father, and the boy 
got a licking. 

Now this illustrates in a way, in somewhat emphatic language it 
describes, the vast amount of material which our government had to 
send across the seas. They came to this laboratory for advice. I sup- 
pose that those who originated the idea never dreamed that this insti- 
tution out here would be aiding our great government, in a war with 
the great nation of Germany, to send beyond the seas such articles as 
munitions, rifles, and all kinds of accessories of war. Yet, such was 
the fact. At this time we began to hear about the work of the lab- 
oratory. We began to hear, and have heard ever since, that while it 
has been in existence, hundreds of men have come here. Several hun- 
dred men from the great industries have come to take their short 
courses of instruction. Such companies in the United States as the 
General Electric, the Western Electric, and many others of the great 
corporations have sent their representatives here to learn something 
which would aid them in carrying on their practical work. The liberal 
representation of lumbermen, those interested in manufactures, here 
today illustrates their view of the importance of this work. 

I listened today to Dr. Birge and Governor Philipp, and I heard 
Mr. Winslow talk a little about the work which had been done here. 
I talked a little with him before, and I talked with Mr. Weiss, and it 
seems to me that they are the two most modest fellows I ever saw. 
Why, as Mr. Winslow made his speech today, telling in his modest, 
quiet way of the work of this institution, if he had been followed by 
one of those orators (properly coached, and told what ought to be 
said), one of the orators from the Chicago Convention — the Repub- 
lican Convention — or the San Francisco Democratic Convention, with 
his foghorn voice and his swinging arms, I don't know what we might 
have done. We might have gathered in processions and wrapped the 
flag around Mr. Weiss, Mr. Winslow, Governor Philipp and Presi- 
dent Birge, but it has not been the method of the laboratory to indulge 
in that kind of publicity. 

Now we are going to hear from a gentleman presently who knows 
not only about the work of this institution, but about forestry in gen- 
eral. When I was a lad living on the old farm I mistrust that if any- 
one said to a group of farmers that it would be a good thing to send 



A Decennial Record 121 

fellows to a college to learn about forestry he would have been ridi- 
culed. They would all have felt that there was no need of sending a 
man to college to learn to split rails, or cut saw-logs ; but we have one 
here tonight, a real forester, who has been in college, and the account 
that I may give of him sounds like a fairy tale — reared in California, 
educated at the State University, then at Yale, he first took control 
of forest matters in the Appalachians, was then called back to the 
Sequoia forest, then to the great forests of Montana and Idaho, then 
to Washington, and like so many of our other patriotic college men, 
he was called to France. First he was called upon to aid in recruiting 
twenty thousand foresters. I imagine when Alexander, Caesar, and 
Bonaparte carried on their wars they did not recruit foresters, but this 
gentleman who is to talk tonight did. He went over to France, and 
there in the forests of France he ran sawmills and he ran the lumber- 
jacks, and helped win the war. He came back and is now connected 
with the government forestry service, the Chief of the Forest Service. 
I take great pleasure in introducing Colonel Greeley. 




NOTABLE DECENNIAL FIGURES 

DIRECTOR C. P. WINSLOW, FORESTER W. B. GREELEY, 

FORMER DIRECTOR H. F. WEISS 



A Decennial Record 123 



FORESTS AND NATIONAL PROSPERITY 

William B. Greeley, Forester, U. S. Forest Service 

This morning when I entered the hotel and approached the gen- 
tleman in charge of the check rooms he pointed to a group of gentlemen 
in the lobby wearing this little white ribbon and said, "Be this the 
undertakers' convention?"' I said, "No, sir, this is a convention of 
woodusers." Then, "Well, them undertakers use lots of wood." So 
I think Mr. Winslow should have capped the climax by referring to 
the wooden coffin in which most of us hope to repose our weary bones 
after the game has been played to the last goal. 

Someone has suggested to me that I am supposed to make a key- 
note speech tonight. I know that keynote speeches are popular 
pastime this summer, but I want to assure you that I have no keynote 
ambitions. In fact, judging from the experience that I have just come 
from — I think the very last speech I made prior to this — I come to 
you in a very humble frame of mind. I was talking to a group of 
ranchers, road builders, etc., out on one of our Colorado forests. We 
were talking about timber, the resources of that region, and I got up 
before them with a good deal of enthusiasm and talked about what the 
Forest Service was going to do, what we were going to do with our 
timber, with our water power, our grazing lands, etc., and really, I 
suppose gave the impression that I possibly was the sole owner and 
dictator of this vast public domain. Well, after the ceremonies were 
over one of the old-timers, a man who had grown up in that country 
since early boyhood, in the audience approached me. The "my" and 
"our" in my speech had not set just right on the old man's system. He 
said, "Young fellow, your talk sounded to me a little bit like the time 
when the devil took our Lord and Master up on high mountain and 
showed him all the domains of the world and said that all of those 
should be his if he would only do what Mr. Devil said, and the durned 
old coot did not own a single acre of it." 

There is no occasion for keynote speeches. The things that have 
brought us together are the simple fundamental things and the sort of 



124 The Forest Products Laboratory 

things that we should approach in the light of sober, every-day, well- 
known truth. 

These are days when the whole world is being reconstructed. The 
stage is set for a new era in international relations and industrial com- 
petition. The times make it worth while to consider some of the things 
which in the new rivalry of world progress will make nations strong. 
We hear much about the oil fields of the world and how the industrial 
control of the harrassed old planet will lie with the people who control 
the bulk of its crude oil. Yet, oil is but an example of the many raw 
materials which modern civilization demands. And while keeping a 
watchful eye upon new and undeveloped sources of raw material, 
surely we must not overlook the resources which nature has put in our 
own hands. 

Many of us who served in France were able to see at first hand 
the conditions of life and industry in a country where population has 
crowded close upon natural resources, where for the masses living has 
become close and hard, and, even to maintain standards of comfort far 
below what the average American demands, a degree of thrift and fru- 
gality beyond our comprehension must be constantly employed. In 
France wood is a commodity of a totally different character from what 
it has been in the United States. Even with the care and intelligence 
applied unremittingly to French forests, lumber is priced as an im- 
ported luxury. No one can become familiar with that country without 
appreciating how this fact handicaps the comfort of living and the 
industrial opportunities of the French nation. The gleaning of the 
forests for little fagots, the very scaffolds used in city building, which 
are made out of small poles carefully lashed together and used over 
and over again, tell the story. With all their beauty and picturesque- 
ness, the rural districts of France often leave an impression of decad- 
ence. A new structure of any kind is a rare sight and moss-covered 
stone buildings of the time of Jeanne d'Arc must serve the French 
farmer of today. Only a people great in industry and foresight could, 
under such limitations, have built up within an area less than that of 
our single largest state, the great industrial nation that France is 
today. 

The lesson which such things bring home is, in a broad way, the 
same fundamental truth which underlies many economic problems of 



A Decennial Record 125 

the present time — not alone those of America, but of the whole world 
as it strives to get back to normal industry. It is an old and simple 
axiom: Aside from the will to work which is the foremost quality of 
any strong nation, its economic and social progress depends in the long 
run upon the foresight and efficiency with which its natural resources 
are used. 

This is simply an attempt to restate, crudely and partially, the 
conception of national conservation which was embodied in our public 
thought and policies by President Roosevelt fifteen years ago. It is 
the viewpoint of the public welware in the long run which two great 
leaders, President Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot, brought to bear 
upon our forest resources, our national water powers, and our national 
deposits of coal and oil. The Forest Products Laboratory at Madi- 
son, which now completes its first decade, stands as a visible and prac- 
tical expression of the thought of these leaders in the field of forest 
conservation. To make the most of our forest resources Mr. Pinchot 
and his associates foresaw that knowledge of the use of wood must 
progress hand in hand with the national movement to assure a sufficient 
supply of this essential raw material. Each had an integral part in 
forest conservation. It was not enough to create National Forests in 
which the Federal Government might embark in the business of timber 
production and to assist the private owner in keeping his woodlands 
productive. It was equally necessary to build up a practical science 
of wood use, — to determine how to get the right stick into the right 
place where its strength or durability would count for the most ; how 
to make one railroad tie do the work of two or three, by prolong- 
ing its life and service ; how to utilize the enormous quantities of waste 
material in our forests and sawmills; how to reduce manufacturing 
losses and better the methods of employing wood in the infinite number 
of American industries which require it, from the paper mill to the 
automobile factory; and what fresh supplies of wood could be found 
for this or that industry as old sources of raw material were exhausted. 
The Forest Products Laboratory was built by men who saw that to 
answer these questions and others like them was as necessary as to 
stop forest fires ; that the wood technician in the factory must supple- 
ment the woodsman in the forest. And they not only built the Lab- 
oratory as an efficient unit of itself ; they built it into and made it part 
of one of the most virile and far-sighted movements toward using nat- 



126 The Forest Products Laboratory 

ural resources for national efficiency in the long run that the world has 
ever witnessed. 

Much in the way of practical forest conservation has been accom- 
plished by this vigorous and growing movement. One hundred and 
fifty-five million acres of National Forests have been established and 
partially developed for the maximum public service in producing tim- 
ber and forage and protecting water sources. Some thirty of the states 
have enlisted in the suppression of forest fires, and in spreading the 
gospel of wise use of timber-growing land. Much has been done in 
our industries to prolong the life of wood and utilize materials pre- 
viously wasted. And yet we must recognize today that forestry is still 
just what President Roosevelt called it fifteen years ago — one of the 
most important internal problems of the United States. The after- 
math of the war has indeed brought home its magnitude and its seri- 
ousness much more sharply than any previous event in the history of 
this country. 

Consider for a moment our situation today as a people of wood 
users. The United States at this moment is short at least one million 
homes. In comparison with the need, new dwellings are being con- 
structed at a snail's pace because of the high cost of lumber, other 
building materials, and of labor. From the shortage of homes arise 
exorbitant rents, crowded living conditions, and lowered standards of 
comfort and family life. The average farm in the United States needs 
about two thousand board feet of lumber every year for new buildings 
and improvements. Because the average farmer can not obtain lum- 
ber at prices within his reach, farm development is handicapped and 
the efficiency of agriculture suffers. This is a factor of no slight im- 
portance in our vital problem of food supply and living costs. 

We need six and one-quarter million cords of wood a vear to make 
our newspapers, magazines, books, pasteboard boxes, and other prod- 
ucts manufactured from wood pulp. We are meeting this need at 
present only by importing a third of our paper or paper-making mate- 
rials from Canada. We require from one hundred to one hundred 
twenty-five million railroad ties each year to keep up and extend our 
railroad lines, aside from enormous quantities of timber used in other 
forms for railroad construction and the building of cars. We have to 
have at least six billion feet of timber yearly for boxes, crates, and bar- 
rels, a requirement which is steadily increasing. In several highly de- 



A Decennial Record 127 

veloped agricultural regions an assured supply of containers for 
shipping farm products to market has become a serious problem in 
itself. 

A group of our important manufacturers, the makers of wood 
veneers, handles, vehicles, furniture, and agricultural implements con- 
sume one and one-half billion feet of timber yearly. It is upon this 
group, perhaps, that the growing shortage of timber falls most heavily, 
since they require largely high grade hardwoods and other timber 
which the virgin forests of the United States furnished so lavishly, 
but which it is now becoming more and more difficult to find in suffi- 
cient quantities. 

All told, we demand of our forests about fifty-six billion feet of 
timber yearly, aside from well over one hundred million cords of small 
material for fuel and various chemical products. There is nothing 
comparable to this enormous use of wood in the history of the world. 
We are preeminently a wood-using nation. It is wood that has devel- 
oped our farm lands, that has largely built and equipped our railroads, 
and that supports many of our most valuable and distinctive manufac- 
turing industries. We use from two to four times as much wood — for 
every member of our population — as the most highly developed coun- 
tries of Europe. The abundance and general distribution of our native 
forests have had a tremendous part in the domestic and industrial de- 
velopment of the United States and in its commercial supremacy. We 
can not face the future without a sober and intelligent consideration 
of that fact. 

Even with the large substitutions of other materials for lumber, 
the United States with its growing population can not greatly reduce 
its present total use of wood without serious injury to its home build- 
ing, its agriculture and its manufactures. And we must find out how 
to supply our own needs largely from our own resources, for it is doubt- 
ful if lumber imports can be greatly increased within reasonable prices. 

So much do we ask of our forests. How far can our forests fill 
this order? 

The original forests of the United States are supposed to have 
covered eight hundred twenty-two million acres. Over two-thirds of 
this area has been culled, cut-over, or burnt. There are left today 
about four hundred sixty-three million acres of forest and cut-over 
land of all sorts, which contains about two thousand two hundred and 



128 The Forest Products Laboratory 

fourteen billion feet of timber of merchantable sizes. Three-fifths of 
the timber originally in the United States is gone. 

All told we are taking about four times the amount of wood out 
of our forests every year which we are growing in them. We are cut- 
ting more of every class of timber than we are growing. We are even 
using up the trees too small for the sawmill, but upon which our future 
lumber supply depends, three and one-half times as fast as they are* 
being produced. 

Of still greater significance is the fact that the timber left is not 
in the right place. The crux of timber depletion is the exhaustion, or 
partial exhaustion, of the forests most available to the great bulk of 
our population, agriculture, and manufactures. One timber region 
after another in the eastern states has been cut out. Less than five 
per cent of the virgin forests of New England and about twelve per 
cent of her original stand of timber are left. New York, the leading 
state in lumber production in 1850, now manufactures only thirty 
board feet per capita yearly, or not more than a tenth of the require- 
ments of her own population and industries. Pennsylvania was the 
leading lumber manufacturing state in 1860. She now cuts less than 
the amount consumed in the Pittsburg district alone. 

The original pine forests of the Lake States, estimated at 350 
billion feet, are now reduced to less than eight billion. In 1892 the 
sawmills in the region bordering the Great Lakes cut nine billion board 
feet of lumber and largely supplied the softwood markets of the Prai- 
rie and Central States and eastward to New England. Today their 
yearly cut is a single billion. These four densely populated regions, 
stretching from the Atlantic to the Prairies, which formerly were lum- 
ber exporters and still contain enormous areas of forest land, are now 
partly or largely dependent upon timber grown and manufactured 
elsewhere and are becoming increasingly dependent upon timber which 
must be shipped the width of the continent. 

The bulk of the building and structural timbers used in the east- 
ern and central states during the last twenty years was grown in the 
pine forests of the south. But the cut of southern pine is now falling 
off and within another decade promises to exceed by little, if at all, the 
requirements of the southern states themselves. The shifting of the 
hardwood industries has followed much the same course. The princi- 
pal reserve of hardwoods is in the Southern Mississippi Valley and 



A Decexxial Record 129 

even here it is doubtful if the cut of hardwood lumber can be materially 
increased for any great length of time. The scarcity of high grade 
oak, poplar, ash, hickory, walnut, and other standard hardwoods is 
now confronting many industries with a difficult situation. 

One-half of the timber remaining in the Continental United 
States is in three states bordering the Pacific ocean. Sixty-one per 
cent of it lies west of the Great Plains. Since 1894 western timber has 
been filling gaps in the eastern and middle western markets. Within 
the past year it has assumed a dominating place in the principal mark- 
ets of the Lake States and has largely replaced southern pine at many 
consuming points in the Central States. It is estimated that within 
the next decade the shortage of nearer timber will compel the Eastern 
and Central States to increase their annual consumption of western 
timber by eleven and one-half billion board feet. 

The true index of timber depletion is not in the quantity that is 
left but its availability. This is shown partly in the cost of trans- 
porting the average thousand feet of lumber from the sawmill to the 
user. Prior to 1850 when the great bulk of our lumber was manufac- 
tured near the points of use, the transportation cost averaged less than 
$3.00 per thousand board feet. Today it is probably $10.00. In 
another decade, at the freight rates now prevailing, it will reach $15.00 
per thousand feet. But aside from rising freight costs, the exhaustion 
of nearby supplies of timber imposes upon the consumer all the disad- 
vantages of being dependent upon distant and restricted manufactur- 
ing regions. These include congestion of transportation, the effects of 
labor shortages and bad weather in limited regions, and a narrowed 
field of competition. 

Not only is the quantity of timber left in the United States being 
used up much more rapidly than wood is being grown ; the availability 
of the remaining timber to the average consumer is steadily decreasing. 
The situation which confronts us now will be different only in degree 
if we allow the western forests also to be exhausted and are compelled 
to import most of our lumber from Siberia or South America. 

Doubtless the extreme conditions of the present lumber markets 
"will be relieved in no great length of time and more moderate prices 
will prevail. The outstanding fact remains, however, that lumber price 
levels higher than those existing before the war must be expected be- 
cause of the depletion, or approaching depletion, of our forest regions 



130 The Forest Products Laboratory 

east of the Great Plains. We are fast losing the great leveler of lum- 
ber prices, the competition between different forest regions available to 
a common market. The scarcity of forest products of high quality, 
cut from old growth timber, will not be readily or quickly overcome. 
Meantime forest depletion is going steadily on, unchecked. It must 
lead inevitably to rising price levels under normal conditions. It will 
contribute to sudden and excessive increases in lumber prices in any 
future transportation, labor, or other crisis. 

The real cause of our timber depletion is idle forest land. Short- 
ages of wood have not resulted primarily from the use of our forests, 
but from their devastation. The kernel of the problem lies in the enor- 
mous areas of forest land which are not producing the timber crops 
that they should. There are 326 million acres of cut-over timber lands 
bearing no saw timber in the United States. Their condition ranges 
from complete devastation through various stages of partial restock- 
ing or restocking with trees of inferior quality, to relatively limited 
areas which are producing timber at or near their full capacity. On 
eighty-one million acres there is practically no forest growth. This 
is the result of forest fires and of methods of cutting which destroy or 
prevent new timber growth. There were twenty-seven thousand re- 
corded forest fires in 1919, burning a total of eight and one-fourth 
million acres. During the preceding year, twenty-five thousand fires 
burned over ten and one-half million acres of forest land. An addi- 
tional large acreage was burned each year, of which no record could 
be obtained. 

The area of idle or largely idle land is being increased by from 
three to four million acres annually as the cutting and burning of for- 
ests continue. The enormous area of forest land in the United States 
not required for any other economic use, estimated at four hundred 
sixty -three million acres, would provide an ample supply of wood if it 
were kept productive. Depletion has resulted, not from using our 
timber resources, but from failure to use our timber-growing land. 

It is unthinkable that the United States should be compelled to 
steadily contract its use of timber — down to the level of civilized exist- 
ence as in other countries of western Europe. We are not an old 
world nation. We still have millons of acres of raw agricultural land 
to be developed. We still have millions of homes to be built and thou- 
sands of miles of T-rails to be laid. We are at the threshold of the 



A Decennial Record 131 

greatest opportunity to expand our world trade in manufactures which 
we have ever had. It is unthinkable, I say, that, in the face of these 
vast requirements and opportunities, the people of the United States 
should be content to watch one of their essential and readily renewable 
raw materials become steadily scarcer and less available; that they 
should accept famine prices on timber as a normal condition, with en- 
forced contractions in its use, embargoes, and governmental restric- 
tions. And such a course is as unnecessary as it would be disastrous. 

We have an ample area of forest-growing land, over and above 
any probable demands for farm crops, most of it indeed unfit for culti- 
vation — an area ample to meet all of our timber requirements if its 
timber-growing capacity is but put to use. From every hand, during 
the last few months, we have been told to increase production as the 
cure of our economic ills. I submit that increased production from 
land is as necessary as increased production by human labor. The 
idleness of millions of acres of forest-growing land may be even more 
disastrous in its ultimate effects than the idleness of hundreds of thou- 
sands of skilled mechanics. And we have in America today an area 
of idle forest land equal to the combined forest of Continental Europe 
aside from Russia. 

The answer to the forestry problem of the United States is not to 
use less wood but to grow more — to put our idle acres of burned and 
logged-off timber land at work growing trees. This is not inherently 
a difficult thing to accomplish. It is not the Utopian dream of a tech- 
nical enthusiast. Three-fourth of it lies in preventing forest fires. 
But it does require an aggressive national policy of reforestation. It 
requires concerted action by the national and state governments to do 
the things which must be done by public agencies. It requires the 
active participation of the private forest owner. It requires a clear 
definition of public and private responsibilities as to timber-growing 
land, with an equitable showing of the cost. There is no phase of our 
whole problem of an assured and perpetual supply of timber that can- 
not be met by simple and obvious measures once the constructive effort 
and capacity for organized cooperation of the American people are 
put behind them. 

It is no exaggeration to say that abundant and well distributed 
forests have been a vital factor in the prosperity of the United States. 
It rests with us to say whether they will continue to be, or whether we 



132 The Forest Products Laboratory 



must readjust our internal and industrial development within the next 
half century to a basis where wood is an imported luxury. The last 
two years have shown all too clearly what that actually means. We 
can no more continue to draw indefinitely upon the timber stored up 
by nature than we can draw upon the natural fertility of our farm 
lands without maintaining and restoring it. Let us safeguard the 
sources of our national wealth and show that we have the thrift and 
constructive ability to use them with intelligence and foresight. 



Remarks of Mr. Jones Following Colonel Greeley's Talk 

When I was a student in our university — you can tell from my 
looks how long ago — there were four classes of men who were properly 
supposed to come to college or university: the prospective lawyer, the 
doctor, the preachers, and the teacher. If one had announced that he 
intended coming to our university to become a forester he would have 
been thought a freak. We had one engineer, I remember, a long lank 
fellow. We sympathized with him. We thought he was going to be 
so lonesome in the world. We little realized that before the present 
time, thousands of engineers would have left our university and engi- 
neering would be among the greatest of the industries in America. 

Sometimes it is difficult to tell what profession one should join. I 
heard of one good father and mother, with their only son John, who 
were asked what they were going to do with him. The father said he 
had talked of this a great deal with the mother and they concluded 
that John must be a lawyer or a doctor, and on thinking it all over they 
had concluded that they would rather take him law than his medicine, 
and he was going to be a lawyer. 

We have here tonight one of that class belonging to the teaching 
class, one who elected to become a professor. We who live in Madison 
knew him very well. We knew his father and mother and his grand- 
father and grandmother and everyone before him. I knew him par- 
ticularly well because I was his nearest neighbor. I watched his antics 
and his pranks as a boy, and they were just as harmless as the pranks 
and antics of other boys. I supposed that in a little while he would 
grow up and marry and settle down and become a hardware merchant 
or a lumber merchant following the ways of his ancestors. By-and-by 



A Decexxial Recokd 133 

we heard that he was a shark in mathematics, and we began to hear that 
he was a shark in physics. We did not know any more about physics 
than we did about Hebrew, but we were glad to have a shark among 
us. After a while we were glad that he became a professor in our 
university, and we were prouder still, though somewhat sad, when he 
was called to Yale. Then after he left us we began to hear that he was 
one of the greatest physicists in America. We were glad to hear also 
afterwhile that he had concluded to come back to his old university, 
his old city, and his old fishing grounds. 

Then the war came on, and we began to hear that our friend was 
experimenting out on Lake Mendota to further the demands of our 
country for means to check the advance of the Kaiser and Hinden- 
burg and their submarines in their attempts to sink the navies of the 
Allies. We thought it was a pretty big job he was undertaking, and 
a rather small field for his operations, but we had faith in him, and 
presently we heard of his experiments along the Atlantic Coast ; and 
then w~e heard that he had actually invented a device that would detect 
the coming of the submarines. Then we heard that he had been called 
over to England to consult with the scientists and the naval experts 
of the Allies — and finally he came back. He is here tonight. He has 
been called upon to step into the breach to take the place of a celebrated 
engineer who had intended to come. 

I have the pleasure of introducing Professor Max Mason who will 
speak to you. 




BENDING OF HEAVY WHEEL RIMS 



A Decexxial Recokd 135 

THE SUBMARINE DETECTOR 

Professor Max Mason, University of Wisconsin 

Ladies and Gentlemen : 

Our experience in the attempt to develop some ways which would 
aid in combating the German submarine warfare began shortly after 
our entrance into the war with a meeting called by the National Re- 
search Council in Washington. Physicists from America were sum- 
moned to hear a discussion of the ways and means of meeting the sub- 
marine combat by the British and French naval and scientific men who 
were sent to America for the purpose of giving American research a 
running start : and in the course of two or three days we were told of 
the naval methods of combating the submarines and of the scientific 
research which had already been started and which had resulted in the 
perfection and installation of some detective devices. 

We were shocked at that time to realize that the enormous loss 
through the sinking of ships — that was in the early days of 1918 — were 
being accomplished by a marvelously small number of submarines. 
From the experience of the British and French navies combined it 
was estimated that onlv 12 or 14 submarines were on dutv at one time, 
and we left that conference with the thought that if 12 or 14 can do this 
damage, and if submarines can be constructed rapidly and manned 
rapidly, what an enormous amount of waste would result in the near 
future. 

At that time there was no adequate defense against submarines. 
The British naval officers summed it up in this way : "I have not much 
to tell you of our submarine work. It consists of the following action. 
We get a wireless message that a ship has been torpedoed and we send 
out a boat to pick up the survivors." About that time the navy's use 
of depth charges and the institution of the convoy system effectively 
changed things so that the situation cleared up greatly. 

In the early days a destroyer would take one or two depth charges 
and some cans of TNT, 300 pounds each, and if they were dead 
certain they were near the submarine they would drop a can of TNT 
thinking they had probably destroyed it. In later days destroyers went 



136 The Forest Products Laboratory 

out with their ship decks loaded with depth charges up to 100 in num- 
ber and toured over the sea, dropping in a definitely ordered spiral as 
many as 60 depth charges in 10 seconds of one another; and, of course, 
if they did not destroy the submarine they shook up the personnel so 
enormously that it became very unpleasant in the submarine. 

The great problem was to find where it was, and that was the 
problem which the National Research Council wished to solve. What 
detective device could be used to determine the position of the subma- 
rine when completely submerged ? I will not and can not give you in 
a short time the number of devices which were attempted to detect 
submarines. Probably if you took a large text book on physics and 
read every chapter you would not find any physical phenomenon which 
was not attempted, which was not utilized in some way, to attempt to 
detect submarines by virtue of that phenomenon — light, sound, heat, 
electricity, magnetism, everything — but the thing that seemed most 
promising was sound, for a machine can not move without making a 
considerable noise. Unfortunately a submarine does not make much 
noise. The efforts we made in Wisconsin towards detecting subma- 
rines were based upon the method of determining their position by the 
sound they make. That is not an easy problem. 

The submarine makes a noise like that of a humming bird in a 
boiler factory, the factory corresponding to the ship and the humming 
bird to the submarine to be detected. You can imagine what it would 
be if you were clattering down a cobblestone street with a threshing 
machine and an electric automobile was somewhere distant and you 
were trying to determine just where the automobile was at every 
instant. You could not do it. 

The plan which occurred to me in relation to the detecting device 
was to work with sound in some such manner as we are familiar with 
in light. You cannot see a star in the daytime but if you sufficiently 
screen off the disturbing light from the skies and utilize a deep well 
or a telescope you can see it in the daytime. If you can get some 
method of intensifying sound from one direction only and shutting it 
off from all other directions you might be able to detect a fair portion 
of one sound by thus eliminating the others, and the instruments we 
developed were based on that theory. We started working here with 
the generous and cordial support of the University of Wisconsin re- 
gents. We soon moved to New London, and there under the naval 



A Decexxial Record 137 

auspices continued throughout the war. A special board of the navy 
was formed to deal with anti-submarine devices, and under their direc- 
tion rapid experiments developed, with the training of physicists and 
the installation of devices. 

I have a few slides illustrating this work which we will go through 
and I will attempt to describe, without going into technical detail, some 
of the features of the work. 

(The remainder of Mr. Mason's speech was descriptive of the 
slides.) 




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A Decennial Record 139 

INTRODUCTORY SPEECH 

John Foley, Chairman, Forester, Pennsylvania Railway System 

Ladies and Gentlemen : 

It must be a great satisfaction to the committee on arrangements 
for this Decennial Celebration of the Forest Products Laboratory as 
well as to the members of that organization to see this large attendance 
on the second day of their celebration. It shows that vou enioved the 
instructive and interesting program of yesterday. Those of you 
who were not here yesterday will doubtless be sorry that you did not 
come. Those of you who have been here before are glad that you have 
come again and those who are in Madison and at the laboratory for the 
first time will undoubtedly go away resolved to come again. 

A good many people who would have liked to be here were unable 
to come, and if you will indulge with me a moment I would like to 
have you hear what they have to say in regretting their inability to join 
you. Here is a letter addressed to Director Winslow by Mr. McGar- 
vey Cline whom you heard mentioned yesterday as the first director of 
the Forest Products Laboratory. 

"In this morning's mail, I received a program of the Decennial 
Celebration of the Forest Products Laboratory. It recalled to my 
mind the early struggles which led to its establishment. My hope in 
those days was to build so well that the work which the laboratory 
represents should take such deep root that it would be immune to the 
storms and upheavals which so often disturb the continuity of research 
work. My pride in the laboratory is almost paternal, and I congratu- 
late you most heartily upon what you have done in making it almost 
an essential element in the evolution of the forest-using industries. 

"I regret keenly, however, that I cannot be present at the Decen- 
nial Celebration. I would enjoy so much being with you and other 
members of the Old Guard when you celebrate the successful com- 
pletion of the tenth year in the life, which I hope will endure to a ripe 
old age. 

"Give my regards to Weiss, Greeley, Burgess, President Birge 
and any other old friends of mine who are with you during the period 
of festivity." 



140 The Fokest Products Laboratory 



We have a letter from Dr. Stanley Coulter whom all of you know 
as one of the most prominent men in conservation movements : 

"I acknowledge with thanks invitation to be present at the De- 
cennial Celebration and regret that it was not received in time to allow 
me to arrange my plans so as to be present. As a matter of fact it was 
forwarded me here. 

"The work of the Forest Products Laboratory has been of such 
scope and significance that anyone interested in conservation prob- 
lems would feel eager to have a part in a celebration recognizing its 
past achievements and at which one would doubtless learn something 
of its plans for the future." 

Those of you who have been in touch with the development of the 
naval stores industry and the conservation of rosin due to the improved 
methods of tapping yellow pine trees for resin are familiar with the 
name of Dr. Charles Herty who did such excellent pioneer work in the 
development of the present methods of turpentining. Dr. Herty wires 
congratulations and best wishes to the Forest Products Laboratory 
regretting his inability to attend the Decennial Celebration. 

Not only Dr. Herty who started the work but those who have 
benefited by the researches of the laboratory in pine distillation feel 
regret at not being here. We have from the Turpentine and Rosin 
Producers' Association a telegram reading as follows — "Congratula- 
tions on accomplishments during your ten years at Madison." 

Not only in the United States are there those who wish the lab- 
oratory well but we have from Erie, Pa., a telegram from the repre- 
sentative of the Norwegian Government — "Heartiest congratulations 
to you and all your friends at your grand institution." 

The following letter from Cheltenham, England, was received — 
"I thank you and your committee for your invitation to attend the 
Decennial Celebration on July 22nd, but regret that it is impossible 
for me to attend. I take this opportunity of expressing to the General 
Committee and especially to Professor Winslow, the great assistance 
which the publications which he was good enough to send me, have been 
to the Committee on Aeroplane Timber, of which I was Chairman, 
and thank you most heartily on behalf of the Committee for these most 
valuable papers." 

As you all know there is in the United States a Chamber of Com- 
merce which represents in the business life the institution which is sup- 



A Decexnial Record 141 

posed to correlate all of the activities of the various chambers of com- 
merce and boards of trade. Its president writes : 

"I wish again to express my regret that I shall be unable to attend 
the Decennial Celebration of the Forest Products Laboratory, to be 
held at Madison, Wisconsin, on July 22nd and 23rd. 

"I am happy to advise you, however, that I have found opportu- 
nity to ask Mr. E. W. McCullough, who will hand you this letter, and 
who represents the Chamber as the Chief of its Department on Fabri- 
cated Production, to attend. His Department is naturally related 
to the enterprises the Celebration is calculated to forward." 

Those of us who have been coming to the Forest Products Lab- 
oratory with any regularity do not hesitate to suggest to the rest of 
you that you get the habit. It will not hurt. You will be unable in 
these two days, which are so filled with various other functions, to get 
thoroughly acquainted with the work across the street, but if you could 
spend a period of reasonable length, undoubtedly you would get very 
much from the laboratory. Then, should you later come back, you 
would undoubtedly find changes in the personnel, for the valuable 
services which its members can render to industrial institutions result 
in many of them being taken away, but you would find constantly there 
the same spirit, the spirit that more actively each year develops along 
the line that the Forest Service stands for, that is, usefulness and serv- 
ice to the people of the country in providing the wood necessary in its 
every day life. 

You are going to hear today about some of the problems con- 
nected with the industries depending upon the forest. The first of 
these is that which to each of you represents what you get in the news- 
papers every day and in the magazines you read, forming the aston- 
ishing amount of 35 pounds of paper to each man, woman and child 
in the United States every year. When you think of the paper that 
is used for other purposes besides newspapers it makes the total of 
over 100 pounds of all kinds of paper consumed by each of you every 
year. It is natural to assume that in the production of that vast 
amount of material there are a great many problems and on those 
problems we are going to hear from Mr. Everest, General Manager 
of the Marathon Paper Mills Company. 




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A Decennial Record 143 



SOME PROBLEMS OF THE PULP AND PAPER 

INDUSTRY 

D. C. Everest, Secretary and General Manager, Marathon 

Paper Mills Company 

Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen : 

In presenting some of the problems in which the Pulp and Paper 
Industry is interested, I intend to deal only with those which relate to 
the work of the Forest Products Laboratory and which we expect to 
be able to solve by intelligent cooperation with this institution. 

In the beginning I wish to say that even though this laboratory 
has been in existence for ten years, Paper and Pulp manufacturers 
have not taken advantage of its remarkable facilities to any great ex- 
tent, and, as a matter of fact, only comparatively few yet realize what 
a wonderful asset we have in this institution. What I have said of 
the Paper and Pulp industry, I believe applies equally as well to 
other branches of industry represented here today and those which 
have to deal with forest products in any form. 

Had we as manufacturers of forest materials awakened to the 
value of the laboratory to us and taken the interest in it, which is now 
apparently manifested, there would be fewer problems of our various 
industries today. Men connected with this institution have, from the 
time of its establishment, been anxious and willing to cooperate with 
manufacturers in any way and have only been prevented from render- 
ing greater service on account of the failure of manufacturers to ac- 
quaint the laboratory personnel with the problems confronting them. 
For ten years the men here have tackled every problem which has been 
put up to them and have rendered invaluable service to those who have 
realized the necessity of such work and have made use of the labora- 
tory in the manner intended when this institution was established. 

The present situation in the paper industry, abnormal as it is, 
has directed the attention of more manufacturers to the need of imme- 
diate and definite action in attacking the various problems with which 
they are confronted. The attitude in the past has been to take advan- 
tage of the improvements only as they have been made by a few pro- 



144 The Forest Products Laboratory 

gressive manufacturers, and a tendency to procrastinate, even in this, 
has been rather common. The condition of the industry looking to the 
immediate future demands that these problems be attacked in such a 
manner as to produce definite results in the shortest time, for with the 
growing scarcity of pulp wood in the eastern and central states and 
our increasing dependence upon Canada for the supply of raw mate- 
rial, a situation has been created which can be rightfully viewed with 
alarm. While some research either in a haphazard manner or follow- 
ing a carefully coordinated plan has been carried on by the paper in- 
dustry, it is safe to say that only those organizations in which the 
program of research was definite have succeeded in placing the manu- 
facture of their products upon a sound basis and are now able to take 
full advantage of their foresight. 

When research is mentioned among paper mill men, and other 
timber users, too often the audience is unsympathetic if not hostile, 
and the tendency of many mill operators has been to look with dis- 
favor upon the efforts of investigators along scientific rather than the 
immediate practical lines. 

In spite of all this, the pulp and paper section of the Forest 
Products Laboratory has been striving for the past ten years with 
funds and personnel inadequate for the work in which they are engaged 
to solve some of the pressing problems of the industry. The field is a 
large one, and most of the work pioneer in character. How success- 
ful they have been in their work may be judged from the following 
recital of the major problems which they have attacked and are now 
studying. 

The need for definite specifications to cover the purchase of pulp 
wood has long been recognized. That the present basis of purchase, 
using the cord as the unit of measurement, is inaccurate cannot be 
doubted. The ordinary piled cord 4 / x4'x8 / may, depending on the 
diameter of the bolts, freedom from knots, etc., contain by actual 
measurement from 104 to 65 cu. ft. of solid wood. Further, the pres- 
ent method of buying wood does not make a proper allowance for the 
percentage of decay. More than four years ago an attempt was made 
to interest pulp mills in this problem, but until very recently nothing 
has been accomplished. However, field work financed by the Ameri- 
can Pulp and Paper Association is now under way, and no doubt 
exists but that the results accomplished will meet expectations. 



A Decexxial Record 145 

Closely connected with this problem, and of more vital impor- 
tance due to the growing scarcity of pulp woods, is that of rossing, 
chipping, drying and baling of pulp wood preparatory to delivery to 
the pulp mill. With the vast pulp wood forests of the West practically 
untouched, it is felt that some such method as this may offer a solution 
to the decreasing supply of pulp wood in the East. This is now a cost 
of transportation problem. 

For many years the enormous amounts of the unavoidable waste 
in the lumber industry has challenged attention. Few pulp mills, 
however, have been in a position to utilize this waste, and have de- 
pended upon round wood for their supply. Conservation of timber 
resources will in time compel the utmost utilization- of this waste, and 
the time is not far distant when lumber mills will undoubtedly under- 
take the barking of edgings and slabs, chipping and screening the 
wood and selling, in the case of hemlock, the bark to the tanneries. 

The utilization of hemlock bark obtained from the barking drums 
has already been the subject of study upon semi-commercial scale, and 
and it only remains to bring the tanner and pulp man to a mutual 
understanding of each other's problems. The burning of such bark 
is indeed a great waste if the value for tanning purposes as shown by 
the semi-commercial test is actually proved in the commercial tests to 
be made, and there now seems to be no question about its being worked 
out satisfactorily. 

The increasing cost and scarcity of wood labor has both reduced 
the supply and increased the value of hemlock bark. And in addition, 
the inability of the lumbermen to deliver peeled pulp wood to the pulp 
manufacturer has further increased the cost of this commodity. 

The woods of the national forests, particularly those of the West, 
have been the subject of an intensive investigation looking toward 
their utilization by both mechanical and chemical processes. All the 
more important pulp wood species have been investigated, and samples 
are available on practically all the woods of importance from a pulp- 
making standpoint. Local and economic conditions still remain to be 
studied, and since a great deal of this work was done prior to 1914, the 
greatly changed conditions necessitate a further survey. 

Sulphite pulp can best be produced from the non-resinous woods, 
and the decreasing supply brings into importance the possibility of 
reducing resinous woods by this process. A successful solution of this 



146 The Forest Products Laboratory 

problem would make available many cheap woods which cannot now 
be used and to a decided extent assist in overcoming the wood shortage. 
The possibility opened by the use of liquid sulphur dioxide, which 
can be obtained from the smelters, in the manufacture of sulphite acid 
has been a subject of much speculation, and while semi-commercial 
scale studies have pretty clearly indicated the results to be expected, 
it still remains for a mill scale demonstration to be made. The largest 
source of this material is, of course, in the West, and in addition to 
offering an outlook for an extremely objectionable nuisance, it would 
go far to eliminate the damage to which all vegetation in the vicinity 
of a smelter producing such fumes is subjected. 

In line with the policy of conservation of by-products, investiga- 
tions have been planned and carried out on the uses of waste sulphite 
liquor for the production of alcohfol, binders, tanning materials, etc. 
When one considers that approximately one-half the weight of the 
wood is dissolved during the course of the coking treatment and ordi- 
narily runs to waste, some idea may be gained of the immensity of this 
problem. It may be that in time to come, the relative importance of 
the products of pulping may be reversed, as was done in the coke in- 
dustry. 

Hardly a sulphite mill exists but that experiences trouble with 
"pitch", and in spite of this, but little has been accomplished along the 
lines of pitch elimination. The laboratory equipment is too small to 
permit a comprehensive study to be made of this problem, but analyses 
in conjunction with changing cooking conditions will doubtless throw 
a great deal of light on the subject. 

The study of fundamental cooking conditions in the soda and 
sulphate processes led to the development of a modified method of 
producing sulphate pulp. By this method decreased chemical and 
steam consumption and increased yields were obtained, and while it 
has been impossible to conduct an entirely satisfactory mill scale trial, 
no doubt exists that this method is worthy of wide use. 

Although sulphate pulp is not usually considered as easy bleach- 
ing, indications are that it can be successfully bleached, yielding a fair 
color with a higher ultimate yield than wood pulped by the soda or sul- 
phite process. A pulp- and paper-making trial has just been com- 
pleted where southern pine pulped by the sulphate process has been 
bleached, and used to a large extent in the production of a satisfactory 



A Decexxial Record 147 

magazine sheet. This has been done without undue cost or. sacrifice 
in yields. 

One of the questions which is very frequently the subject of 
conversation when sulphate mill men get together is the relative ad- 
vantages of diffusers and pans. This problem, however, can only be 
successfully attacked upon the mill scale, and the same applies to a 
study of the cause of corrosion of diffusers. 

The successful recovery of chemicals from the waste liquor has 
always been of great importance, and any means which can be devised 
to raise the percentage of recovered chemicals would immediately be 
reflected in a decreasing cost for manufacture. Here again but little 
can be done upon a small scale. 

Paralleling the recovery of by-products from sulphite liquors, 
distillation of those obtained in the soda or sulphate process offers a 
means of more fully utilizing the present waste. It is definitely known 
that valuable products exist in the black liquors, but their recovery 
upon a commercial scale is not yet a complete success. 

Salt cake has been universally used in the sulphate process to 
make up the chemical losses, but the use of niter cake offers certain 
advantages which, however, are offset by a few serious drawbacks. 
If opportunity could be given for a thorough investigation into the use 
of niter cake, this problem might be solved. 

A constant source of trouble in the sulphate mill is found in the 
refractory material used in lining the smelters. While the conditions 
existing in a sulphate smelter doubtless offer great difficulty, it is not 
inconceivable that by intensive study a solution for this problem can 
be found. 

Woods which are pulped by the alkali process lend themselves 
very readily to recovery of various products prior to pulping. So far, 
however, tannin is the only product which is now recovered on a com- 
mercial scale, but the high rosin and turpentine content of the southern 
pines suggest that before long these materials will also be recovered. 
This problem can be very successfully attacked upon a laboratory 
scale and has already been too long delayed. 

There are but few quarries in this country where a successful 
grade of stone for pulp grinders is found, and the cost of the work 
necessary to experiment with new deposits is practically prohibitive 
unless the investigations can be first carried out upon a laboratory 




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A Decennial Record 149 

scale. Closely connected with this problem is that of developing a 
suitable artificial stone, and while many abrasive materials have been 
suggested, and some tried, the problem is not as yet solved. But here 
again the laboratory can be of great assistance. 

The importance of keeping under control the production of me- 
chanical pulp is receiving increasing attention, and a number of years 
ago was the subject of some study. Since that time, however, no op- 
portunity has been presented for the laboratory to continue this work, 
although mill organizations are carrying on investigations along this 
line. 

The loss of fibre in whitewater has been the subject of much 
discussion «in the past, both from the standpoint of stream pollution 
and improving plant conditions. Because of the large volume of water 
which must be handled in order to recover the relatively small amount 
of fiber, certain difficulties present themselves at the start. But prog- 
ress has certainly been made in the solution of this problem, and much 
more can be done if the matter is made the sub j ect of an intensive study. 

The effect of the various factors entering into the beating of pulp 
is not entirely understood, although progress is being made along these 
lines. In spite of the work that has been done with experimental beat- 
ers it is not yet possible to apply the results obtained upon a small scale 
to mill conditions. 

In connection with the conservation of waste materials, the recov- 
ering of various waste papers such as paraffine and asphalt commands 
attention. Because of the difficulty of collecting these waste products, 
but comparatively little progress has been made, although the labora- 
tory tests have successfully demonstrated that the impregnating mate- 
rial can be recovered without undue cost and the extracted pulp made 
into a satisfactory sheet. One mill is now being built for the extraction 
of paraffine and the manufacture of the waste paper into pulp. 

The study of a substitute for sulphate of alumina is a problem of 
utmost importance at this time, and if transportation conditions re- 
main as they are today, and seemingly no miracle is going to happen 
to change these conditions under from three to five years, then we shall 
need some substitute for this commodity which we can obtain easily, 
possibly from some materials now employed in our pulp -making indus- 
try. The conditions in the manufacture of sulphate of alumina today 



150 The Forest Products Laboratory 

are a serious problem for the paper manufacturers. I understand 
some work has already been done along that line. 

The study of paper specialties such as fiber containers, indurated 
ware, molded articles, artificial silks, twines and textiles requires a 
highly organized research body, and progress has necessarily been 
slow along these lines. Work has been done in an attempt to develop 
water and grease proof containers, and a certain degree of success has 
attended the efforts. 

Various raw materials other than wood are receiving an increasing 
amount of attention from the trade, and utilization of one such mate- 
rial : namely, cotton linters, has been successfully carried to commercial 
scale operations. Others such as the various grasses, straws and crop 
plants should be the subject of investigations, but must await the solu- 
tions of those problems which are more pressing, and which promise 
more valuable results. 

Studies on the chemistry of pulps have been confined principally 
to the research carried on in the European countries, although the sub- 
ject is of great importance in connection with the use of chemical pulp 
for manufacture into various cellulose derivatives. The lack of this 
knowledge was very forcibly brought home during the war when in- 
vestigations of the suitability of chemical pulps for manufacture into 
nitro-cellulose were seriously hampered by our ignorance of the sub- 
j ect. In the study of pulp wood and wood pulp decay, chemistry will, 
undoubtedly, play an important part in determining the various de- 
composition products formed by the decay organisms. However, it 
must be remembered that in all cases where a chemical study of pulp 
or wood is made, complete data must be available relative to the pre- 
vious treatment which the material has undergone. Too much work 
has already been done upon pulps whose origin was unknown. Of the 
various studies mentioned, this one alone requires the services of sev- 
eral highly trained men, and results could in no case be expected under 
several years' time. 

The beginning of the study of this problem of deterioration in 
pulp wood and wood pulp to any great extent in the laboratory was 
brought about by the experience we were having at the mill in which I 
am interested, with fungus growth in stored and purchased pulp. 
Owing to the serious problems of transportation during the war it 
became necessary to purchase wood pulp in full cargoes and store it 



A Decexxial Record 151 

rather than to depend on regular shipments by rail of freshly ground 
wood. This storing of large quantities of pulp and particularly in 
view of the high market value at the time, soon impressed one with the 
enormous loss due to deterioration both in money and quality of prod- 
uct. When this problem was taken up with the laboratory it was found 
that practically all the funds were tied up for other work and that 
even though the funds were available, the necessary pathologists and 
others necessary to the prosecution of the work must be found. It was 
impossible to do anything until funds could be supplied and according 
to regular practice this would mean waiting until appropriations were 
made and the money available after July 1st. This meant a delay of 
nearly a year and consequently I undertook to raise sufficient funds 
from concerns engaged in pulp and paper manufacturing to defray 
the expense of this work until regular governmental appropria- 
tions would be made to cover it. Twenty-three concerns contributed 
$10,500.00, about one-fourth of the concerns addressed on the subject 
replied to the first appeal and the reasons given by others for not con- 
tributing after the second and third appeals were made, showed that 
there was either a lack of knowledge on the part of many manufactur- 
ers both as to their own needs and as to the ability of the Forest Prod- 
ucts Laboratory to handle such questions, or there is an epidemic of 
"tightwaditis" in this country when it comes to sensible propositions 
which are to be of benefit to our business and the country generally. 
Let some one present a proposition involving the expenditure of mil- 
lions of dollars for the assistance of some fool thing or other and men 
seem possessed to be the first on the list to give their personal or com- 
pany funds, but a sensible program looking to the conservation of one 
of the greatest assets this country possesses is passed up without giving 
any financial aid and by offering excuses, usually too thin for any use. 
Many said we are studying this problem in our laboratory, but we had 
all done that for years and were no nearer a solution of the problem 
than when we started. It requires the best men obtainable in the coun- 
try in several different lines and it must be patent to every one that a 
coordinated program being carried out in one place under such condi- 
tions as exist here would yield better results than if men equipped with 
only general chemical knowledge and working individually should 
undertake the study of this problem in private laboratories. 



152 The Forest Products Laboratory 

Some replied that this should be a government matter and the 
government should provide funds, etc., not seeming to realize that 
funds were not then available and that the loss to every manufacturer 
due to a delay of six or eight months in the solution of such a problem 
meant many times the amount they were asked to contribute. 

If the Forest Products Laboratory is to be of the greatest possible 
assistance to the pulp and paper industry closer cooperation must 
exist with the mills, for the final test of any laboratory trial must take 
place in the mill. Too often information vital to the successful prose- 
cution of a problem is withheld or full and hearty cooperation is lack- 
ing. If the mills refuse to give the laboratory their full confidence 
and at the same time maintain a critical and unsympathetic attitude 
but little real progress can be made on those problems in which the 
industry is vitally interested. 

If, however, they look upon the laboratory as a part of their own 
organization and treat it as such, correcting its mistakes and commend- 
ing its successes, the greater portion of any research problem is already 
solved. 

For an organization of this character to be so seriously hampered, 
both as to equipment and personnel, is fatal to a rapid solution of the 
many problems with which it is confronted, and it is, of course, im- 
possible to carry on intensive studies of the many pressing questions. 
Should a mill organization desire work done, the results of which would 
be of benefit to the whole industry, a cooperative arrangement can be 
made similar to the ones now in force with respect to pulp wood and 
wood pulp decay and pulp wood measurement. Or one or more men, 
financed by the mills, could be detailed at the laboratory for an in- 
tensive study of some problem under the direction of the laboratory 
organization. Either of these suggestions is in accordance with the 
laboratory policy of furthering the advance of exact knowledge of the 
industry with which they are so closely connected, and their adoption 
by any organization is most heartily welcomed. 

In summing up the problems of the pulp and paper industry, 
perhaps the one which is as important as any is in seeing that ample 
appropriation is made for the continuance of this work, so that with the 
necessary funds, the personnel of this laboratory may be built up to 
a point where we may rest assured that the problems confronting us 
may be solved. The personnel is the foundation, and the whole thing 



A Decexxial Recokd 153 

depends on it. The Secretary of Agriculture has been working to have 
the salaries of these men and women put on a basis comparable to sal- 
aries paid in private industry for like service, and in this we must assist 
him in every way possible. Adequate salaries must be paid. 

The necessity of such action rests not only on the paper and pulp 
industry but on every other branch of forest products conversion in- 
dustry in the country. From my conversation with lumbermen and 
others connected with wood-working industry, I am convinced there 
is a woeful lack of information as to this work and the possible advan- 
tages of it to the individual concern. 

Take, for instance, this problem of deterioration of pulp wood and 
wood pulp. Experiments have demonstrated enormous losses in yield 
from infected wood and a falling off in quality which is surprising. 
Heretofore, deterioration of pulp wood and other forest products has 
been looked upon as a matter of course and no great effort made to 
correct it. We have heard of the rapidly decreasing timber supply, 
public men howl about it, and newspapers harp on it continuously. 
Conservation has been preached by every man who could get an audi- 
ence. Lumbermen and others of days gone by have been criticised for 
what was at that time an unavoidable waste of unsuitable timber and 
what was a necessary waste to open up what is now our best agricul- 
tural territory. Criticism of everybody and everything has been the 
order of the day, but when it comes down to a proposition to finance 
this laboratory, the only department of the Forest Service which can 
point the way to conservation of our natural timber resources after 
they are removed from the land, it is only after the greatest effort on 
the part of the Secretary of Agriculture, the Chief Forester and all 
others connected with that department, together with the efforts of 
various associations of industry represented here, the splendid work 
of some newspapers and trade journals and the actual work in com- 
mittee of Congressman Nelson and Senator Lenroot, that Congress 
would appropriate barely enough to keep this institution alive for 
another year. 

Another strange fact is that within a few months of the time the 
appropriation was fixed for the laboratory another committee made 
up of men from the same body which considered the appropriation, 
tack on to another bill an appropriation of $100,000.00 for the investi- 
gation of a substitute for pulpwood, cornstalks or sugar cane. The 



154 The Forest Products Laboratory 

same old story of finding substitutes for pulpwood but doing mighty 
little to find ways to save what we have. Probably none of those who 
dealt with the Underwood bill recalled that there was a well established 
Jaboratory for the purpose which they had not properly supported. 
If these gentlemen are sincere when they howl "Conservation", then 
their actions in providing for this institution belie their words. Most 
people lose their sense of proportion when dealing with large problems, 
and unfortunately congressmen have proved no exception to this rule. 

We need this laboratory. Private enterprise cannot buy such 
facilities and conditions. You who have been privileged to see and 
know what is being done here must realize that if we are to solve our 
technical problems relating to timber, its care, perpetuation and 
proper use, we must back this laboratory to the limit, either by in- 
ducing Congress to adequately provide for it or by individual subscrip- 
tion if necessary. 

There is but one thing for the paper and pulp industry and other 
industries using forest products to do, and that is to work earnestly 
for a better understanding of the possibilities of this laboratory serv- 
ice both on the part of the members of their respective industries and 
of those who have the responsibility and power to fix the sum which 
shall be expended in this work, and in this manner we may expect to 
materially reduce the number of problems which confront the pulp 
and paper industry and your other industries as well. 

I urge you, gentlemen, to give this institution the support it 
deserves in the solution of the scientific problems affecting our indus- 
tries and which are so vital to our individual success and the conserva- 
tion of one of the nation's most valuable natural resources. 



Remarks of Mr. Foley Following Mr. Everest's Talk 

In the early days of the world war, most of you heard a great deal 
about the National Council of Defense, the War Industries Board, 
and other activities of the Government at Washington. To many 
they were simply names. To those who spent any time at Washington 
they quickly became very significant factors in the wonderful work 
which was being done in developing the necessary forces to resist the 
progress of the German Army. 



A Decexxial Record loo 

The talk that you heard from Professor Mason last night cer- 
tainly should have given you an insight into what was done by the sci- 
entists of this country in organizing the technical knowledge they 
possess and which I assume our German friends did not credit them 
with possessing. It was coordinating such knowledge and bringing 
into collaborated effort the experience and the experiments of the vari- 
ous scientists, individuals, and organizations of the country that made 
our wonderful progress possible. What was learned during the war 
in the way of effectiveness in such coordinative effort is being profited 
by to the extent that there is now being maintained an organization 
called the National Research Council. 

We are very fortunate this morning in having present to tell 
us about the work of that organization its Extension Manager, Dr. 
Howe. 




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A Decexxial Record 157 



AMERICA'S PLACE IN INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH 

H. E. Howe, Chairman, Research Extension Division, 
National Research Council 

Ladies and Gentlemen: 

The subject which has been assigned to me affords a real tempta- 
tion to bring out the American eagle and let him scream. The easiest 
way would be for me to make the assertion that America holds first 
place, and let the other fellow attempt to disprove the statement. I 
think, however, that we would do well to consider how we are regarded 
in industrial research, what the present situation is, and what the op- 
portunities are for winning and holding first place. The record 
makes it rather plain, I think, that America rightfully belongs out in 
front leading the industrial research procession in many fields and in 
the majority of the fields of science America has already a very high 
standing. 

Perhaps the best tributes that have been paid to American indus- 
trial research have been from abroad. I can refer you, for example, 
to Mr. Fleming's discussions in England where he has taken occasion 
to illustrate various phases of industrial research by reference to the 
United States in the hope that our progress here will stimulate the 
efforts of our English friends who may find in our work an example 
worth emulating. 

More recently Holland, considering the establishment of a large 
laboratory in Java, has taken pains to investigate our Government lab- 
oratories, educational institutions, and the many places where research 
has turned to the aid of industry. 

Our Australian friends who have been collecting data on research 
laboratories, routed many of their men who were returning after the 
war through the United States. These men were given the informa- 
tion wherever they visited, made acquainted with equipment, details 
of method, reports of progress made in our plans of organization, our 
greatest activities, and in general the points in our own experience 
which may aid them in Australia. They have already decided upon 
the duplication of some of the equipment to be found here at Madison. 



158 The Forest Products Laboratory 

You have heard also of the establishment of the Forest Products 
Laboratory in Canada, and the Canadian Parliament has planned 
the establishment of something similar to our Bureau of Standards 
and the Mellon Institute where the training of men as well as the in- 
vestigation of scientific problems will be the outstanding features. I 
think, therefore, that the way in which our foreign friends have investi- 
gated our conditions and found them satisfactory speaks very well 
indeed for our position and gives us some right to claim that we are 
well toward the front in the field of industrial research. 

Another piece of evidence on the same point is the status of indus- 
tries founded on scientific data. I know of no better argument to offer 
in urging people to undertake research in their own industries, founded 
upon cut and dry methods, than to point to such experiences. 

Many of the older institutions still use rule of thumb methods 
and refuse to accept the full measure of aid science affords. An exam- 
ple of this is the ceramics industry. On the other hand, our electrical 
industries and chemical industries have developed much more rapidly 
than the older industries and are more progressive. These new ones 
have founded themselves upon science and hold their present status 
due to scientific endeavor. 

In America we have many such industries ; the petroleum industry 
is an outstanding fact of what science can accomplish. I can remind 
you of the work of Frasch in the elimination of sulphur from petro- 
leum making it possible to use that material from Ohio, Canada and 
other points for illumination purposes. This, overnight, raised the 
price of that oil from 90 cents per barrel to many times that amount. 

The packing house permits us to enjoy meat products at even the 
present prices only because of the by-products which have been devel- 
oped through industrial research. At one time two per cent of the 
annual turnover was the net profit made by the concerns on the edible 
products. 

The electro-chemical and electrometallurgical industries are con- 
spicuous examples, and we might spend all of the time at our disposal 
on the progress made, especially during war times. The fact is that 
these industries gave us our abrasives and whole industries have been 
built up around our artificial graphite and electrolytically refined cop- 
per upon which all electrical industries depend. What industrial 
research can do in this particular field has been proved, and electro- 



A Decexnial Record 159 

lytic methods of refining metals and making steel will continue to en- 
gage attention for some time to come. 

In welding we have made quite a record. Without this research 
we probably could not have repaired the German ships which were in 
Xew York harbor. This has always been a very interesting subject 
to me, for we accomplished in a few weeks what the Germans thought 
would take years to do. All ships were damaged almost exactly alike, 
the variations being but slight. Everybody carried out his orders, 
there being no evidence of individuality in the methods used ; and when 
the results were available from one ship, a method had been worked 
out for all and it was only necessary to increase the units of the repair 
equipment. Out of that work the American Welding Institute has 
grown up and is now engaged upon a study of the various methods of 
gas and electric welding. 

Perhaps there is no brighter page in industrial research in Amer- 
ica than the development of the art of communication. In wireless 
simply marvelous progress has been made and is due wholly to re- 
search. Men who learned their radio during the war and have lost 
touch since, find such rapidly changing conditions that they must al- 
most begin over again. Such progress is being made in the use of new 
apparatus and the steps are being taken with such rapidity that in 
order to keep up with wireless the men must keep in touch with each 
development as it unfolds piece by piece. The wireless telephone 
strikes me as being one of the most remarkable accomplishments. That 
we can send waves traveling as from the center of a sphere with such 
intensity that part of them will reach a distance from Washington to 
Paris or Hawaii with sufficient force to be heard is a modern miracle. 

You heard from Professor Mason last night about research on 
one type of communication that was carried on in many of our labora- 
tories during the war. 

The rubber field is another glowing example of what American 
research has done ; and still another can be drawn from fields of elec- 
tricity, chemistry and engineering in the Mazda lamp. The use of this 
lamp is said to mean a saving of $400,000,000 annually as compared 
with our old carbon electric light bulbs. Our scientific men fought 
with German scientists for the prize; both knew the advantages of 
tungsten filament and that ductile tungsten was the next step. Our 
men were first to solve the problem, and also to learn that the use of 



160 The Forest Products Laboratory 

inert gas in place of a partial vacuum in the bulb very greatly increases 
the efficiency of the lamp. We like to tell of this particular work be- 
cause much of it began in pure science and has practically intrenched 
the electric lamp industry in America. 

Something that may be of interest, perhaps, is the work which has 
been done in Hawaii in the use of paper to fight weeds. It is another 
Yankee invention. Due to the type of soil and the heavy rainfall the 
weeds grew so fast that sugar cane could not be grown at a profit. On 
one plantation Mr. Eckhardt after many unsuccessful efforts to kill 
the weeds by spraying, etc., eventually conceived the idea of trying to 
fight them by putting paper over the rows. This is possible because 
under the paper you get a hot-house condition. The sharp spikes of 
the sugar cane have little difficulty in penetrating, while the soft tops 
of the weeds are unable to get through the paper. The place where 
the spikes strike the paper obliquely and do not get through is shown 
by small elevations and a knife incision permits their emergence. 
These rapidly overtake the ones which have penetrated earlier. 

A type of roofing paper was used and a few trials on several acres 
showed the possibility of decreasing the actual cost of production from 
50 to 80 per cent, and an increase of about ten tons of cane per acre, 
due to the elimination of weeds. That paper was, however, a rather 
expensive product and the next step in industrial research was to make 
this type of paper from Bagasse, which is sugar cane from which sugar 
has been extracted. This has been worked out satisfactorily on a small 
scale in this country by Arthur D. Little, Inc., and a 20-ton mill is 
now in operation making sufficient paper to care for the need. 

We have heard mention made of the progress of associations in 
England fostered by the Government. We have in this country asso- 
ciations that are doing equally well and have many years of success 
behind them. 

The National Canners' Association is an outstanding example 
of what can be done for industry through cooperative work. It was 
one of the first in the field. The entire product of the industry has 
been improved ; virtually the whole industry has been elevated. This 
does not mean that the products of inferior grade before this coopera- 
tive work began are now equal to the best, but that the poor ones have 
been improved and the best ones have also benefited. The men who 
were formerly able to make the best quality are still able to do and 



A Decennial Record 161 

better able with the help of research. Members who formerly fought 
scientific control now recognize its value and their need for it. 

The Portland Cement Association has also accomplished a great 
deal, particularly in studying types of aggregates which are suitable 
for concrete. Often failure in concrete is due to the use of excessive 
water in making the batch. This research work done by the Associa- 
tion proves that if care is taken to use the right proportion of cement 
to give the proper binder, and not to use an excessive amount of water, 
any local aggregate when graded and classified can be used. This is 
becoming the general practice for roads and pavements and effecting 
considerable savings. 

The malleable iron industry has been saved from a secondary 
position by the application of industrial research. When this asso- 
ciation began its work the members bound themselves to conform to a 
high standard specification administered by the laboratory. If a cer- 
tain foundry was turning out a poor grade of iron, that foundry was 
visited and steps taken to put its product on a higher level. Those who 
were making the best iron before this work was undertaken are still 
making the best iron although the tensile strength and other physical 
characteristics are higher for the entire industry. Individuals and 
concerns have been benefited without interfering with the progress 
which comes from individual initiative, and the resourcefulness of the 
concerns. 

Commercial laboratories are filling a very real need. Many 
manufacturers who can not afford to establish research laboratories 
and whose research problems are not receiving the attention of asso- 
ciations find these laboratories very useful and necessary. 

The Bureau of Standards, the Bureau of Chemistry, the Bureau 
of Mines and many other of the forty Government bureaus devoted to 
scientific research must, of course, be mentioned as factors in estab- 
lishing our high position in research. In the estimation of our foreign 
friends they rank high. It often seems, as Mr. Everest has told us, 
that the funds are not as large as they should be, but the total appro- 
priations for scientific work constitute a sum which is not inconsider- 
able, and I think we are probably doing more than any other Govern- 
ment. Other Governments have accepted our research results and 
these institutions have added much to our fame abroad as well as at 




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A Decennial Record 163 

home. But we are not doing enough and have not enough money at 
our disposal. 

The industrial fellowship plan of the Mellon Institute carries 
with it the idea of developing men for a particular field and at the same 
time solving the given problem. The success has been marked. All 
in all, we have reason to believe that we do stand high in industrial 
research. The present condition is very promising for eventual and 
undisputed leadership. 

A list of nearly 300 industrial research laboratories has been pub- 
lished by the National Research Council and this does not include all 
in the United States. The scale on which certain of our investigations 
are handled is now a very hopeful sign. In the National Electric 
Lamp Association we find something like 2,000 men on development; 
work, 600 of them being highly trained technical men. The American 
Telephone and Telegraph Company have 1,300 giving their time to 
industrial research. In the Du Pont Company we find there are nearly 
as many engaged in industrial research, and in many other corpora- 
tions large bodies of scientific men constantly at work trying to estab- 
lish principles and gain knowledge that will improve process and 
product. 

At one time in the rapidly changing conditions it was considered 
a sign of weakness to acknowledge that things were not as they ought 
to be and to spend money on scientific work. 

Public service corporations who meet great difficulty in steadily 
increasing costs and fixed rates must turn to scientific work to find 
means of doing an increased amount of work more efficiently. As an 
example of the application of scientific research we can cite the long- 
distance telephone. When the problem was to talk across the conti- 
nent there were two methods of attack. One was the development of 
a special instrument with a loud transmitter for long distance work; 
the second was to find ways to use the instrument now installed. The 
second line of attack was followed out with the result that eventually 
the working radius of every telephone was increased a thousand fold 
without changing the instrument, while the first method would have 
required the re-equipment of the entire telephone system of the 
country. 

Research activities are increasing and industries are employing 
the very best research men they can possibly find. Today the cry is 



164 The Forest Products Laboratory 

■ - ■■-■ — 

for better trained men rather than merely for more men who can work 
along scientific lines. This is another very hopeful sign. More and 
more fellowships have been established and the policy of establishing 
fellowships can be encouraged particularly where fundamental re- 
search in educational institutions is concerned. 

The associations I have mentioned number something like twenty 
at the present time. The National Canners' Association today is 
spending as much on one problem as the whole laboratory cost at the 
start. They have found industrial research a very well-paying in- 
vestment. 

There have been a number of new associations founded for coop- 
erative research. A Plant Protection Institute has been formed to 
further the study of methods for controlling injurious insects and 
plant diseases. 

The Petroleum Institute is another good example of the trend of 
the times, and I might also, in this connection, mention the support 
of scientific endeavor along fundamental lines by individuals who have 
heretofore directed their attention more toward commercial lines. 

However, if you had not come here I might have better evidence 
that you need conversion to the cause of research. The fact that you 
are here to attend the celebration of the laboratory's great decade of 
industrial research should answer for you, for if you needed any argu- 
ment to convert you to research, you would not be attending the birth- 
day party. 

Let us turn for a moment to a consideration of what we might do 
to strengthen our position as a world power in industrial research. I 
think first and foremost we need more fundamentally trained men 
and women who will step into and carry on industrial research. By 
fundamentally trained men and women, I mean those who really know 
the various sciences involved and who can fit into any need as do the 
white corpuscles of the body. As you know white corpuscles can be- 
come brain, tissue, bone, etc. — whatever the need may be at the time. 

If industry is to get the most benefit from industrial research, I 
believe it to be essential that the laboratory be made just as important 
as the advertising or production department. I think such a depart- 
ment rightfully becomes a part of the organization, but that does not 
mean that such firms can not join in the cooperative solution of the 
fundamental questions of science. They can cooperate on such com- 



A Decennial Record 165 

mon problems as fuel and smoke abatement. Improved working con- 
ditions and the use of the abnormal individual in industry are other 
good examples of cooperative work which the industries can undertake. 
The industries need to increase the number of unrestricted fellowships, 
and those industries that have profited through research should take 
steps to repay the debt they owe educational institutions. I do not 
believe in doing that simply by adding more fellowships, but the indus- 
tries ought to make an allowance for their supervision. 

We find that our Government laboratories are losing their best 
people on account of the inability to pay them what is necessary to 
relieve them of financial worry and to keep them in their employ. To 
discuss it further is useless ; as Mark Twain said of the weather, "We 
talk about it a great deal, but nothing is done". It becomes very dis- 
couraging in many universities that steps are not taken to properly 
increase the remuneration of the teachers. This is one of the largest 
and greatest outstanding needs. Not all teachers can conduct re- 
search, but wherever one is found, he should be relieved of teaching 
and endowed so that his time can be spent on this work. Research 
should be fostered in educational institutions and the spirit of research 
encouraged by the establishment of research professorships and more 
fellowships. 

The direct help of the industries to the government laboratories 
has been stressed. Adequate appropriations have not been secured for 
the Forest Products Laboratory. The establishment of Advisory 
Committees who can consider problems from the viewpoint of the man 
who must eventually make the proper application of the data discov- 
ered should be encouraged. I believe funds for the direct support of 
the types of research in which each industry is concerned should come 
from the groups to be benefited and not from the Government alone. 
I am confident when industry pays directly to the support of well 
established research, it has more interest and is far more liable to apply 
the results obtained. Industry should be brought to realize its obliga- 
tion to pay its debt to science by subscribing regularly a percentage 
of profits for the support of fundamental research. There are indus- 
tries where people are still living on the profits upon investments in 
brains made by their ancestors, and they do not care to make any con- 
tributions themselves to industrial research for their descendants to 
utilize. I am sure that many of the industries have no intention of 



166 The Forest Products Laboratory 

being parasitic, but many of them must be brought to realize their de- 
pendence on science, its bearing on commerce and the desirability of 
doing the right thing to promote work upon fundamentals. 

Another place where the industries can help is in the publication 
of bibliographies which are not properly cared for at present. There 
are many people who cheerfully support other forms of publication 
but find lists and bibliographies unattractive, even though they are 
essential for scientific work. There is always great difficulty in getting 
sufficient financial backing for such work, and yet there should be no 
delay in trying to find out from time to time what has been done and 
what is going on. The public as the ultimate benefactor of all this 
work clearly has its duty to perform in this connection. 

That it is the public to which we must look is shown by the expe- 
rience at the Brunner-Mond plant. The president and vice-president 
recently recommended that 100.000 pounds (sterling) be devoted to 
research in the universities, but the stockholders who had already re- 
ceived large dividends turned down this suggestion even though their 
business depends upon science for its existence and advancement. 

I think that sort of thing comes from the lack of a proper under- 
standing of science. For example, an advertisement appeared in a 
recent paper offering to pay a satisfactory cook $2,500, and in the same 
service there was also an opportunity for an experienced chemist at 
$1,800, and a laboratory assistant in pathology was offered $950. I 
presume we must have good cooks, but it does seem that a trained sci- 
entist should be worth as much. The support of the government lab- 
oratories by the public at large is, of course, for the benefit of us all. 
Most of the speeches made in Congress appear to be designed for con- 
sumption by the people back home. If these people back home could 
only be convinced that we must have and spend money in supporting 
scientific work in their interests, as Mr. Everest has outlined, I am sure 
it would be rapidly forthcoming and research could proceed on an ade- 
quate scale. 

There are many sciences available for research that have not been 
called upon by industry. There is, for instance, the great group of 
biological sciences with which industry should become acquainted, and 
we can render service by introducing the two parties to their mutual 
advantage. We have the ability in this country to do the proper type 
of industrial research which will keep us in the lead. What can we 



A Decennial Record 167 

do to bring about the improved conditions which I have attempted to 
describe? 

First of all, we can work through our various scientific, technical 
and business organizations. We can work in many instances as indi- 
viduals getting the story to others more effectively at times than can 
any organization. 

All the great organizations in natural sciences are represented in 
the National Research Council which was introduced to you by Pro- 
fessor Mason last night. The Council is an opportunity for coopera- 
tion in science and a clearing house for research. The National Re- 
search Council is not a government organization, but enjoys the help 
of the Federal bureaus and scientists. It has a wide backing, and 
large funds have been obtained from certain foundations and indus- 
tries which wish to help in carrying on this work of encouragement 
and stimulation. The money for cooperative research must come from 
those who will be benefited, and as an example I would cite the sup- 
port of the committee on Forestry by the Southern Pine Association. 
The Council has a deep interest in all phases of industries based on the 
forest and its products and invites your cooperation and your use of 
its facilities. 

Whatever else the war has done for us, it seems to me that it has 
given people generally a little bit better insight into what science is, 
what it has done, and what it can do. We should preach research to 
educational industries, to individuals, to industries. We must get the 
support required for the research that will keep America in the very 
forefront. 

Of all civilized countries we have the greatest responsibility in 
using our great reserves of natural resources, for they are almost 
world reserves. True conservation is based on intelligent use, and 
such use requires knowledge such as comes only from research. 

The Forest Products Laboratory with its ten years of creditable 
work to recommend it can surely look forward with enthusiasm to the 
next decade during which time, as in the past, it will do its share in 
making America's place unquestionably in the lead. 



168 The Forest Products Laboratory 



Remarks of Mr. Foley Following Mr. Howe's Talk 

It must be a satisfaction to all of you to have heard that the 
lumber industry does not hesitate to take advantage of the help it can 
get from industrial research. Those of us who were privileged to be 
present when the plans of the Forest Products Laboratory were orig- 
inally talked over can not help but look back with admiration upon the 
foresight of those who gave the incentive to this wonderful organi- 
zation. 

The lumbermen of the country have not been ready to acknowl- 
edge the usefulness of the foresters, as have been the wood-using in- 
dustries, on account of the work done at the laboratory. However, 
there has been no group of men who have more earnestly backed up the 
efforts of the Forest Products Laboratory and the Forest Service to 
get the money necessary to prosecute the investigations at Madison 
than have the lumbermen, and we are going to hear some of the prob- 
lems of the lumber industry presented by a member of the committee 
on economics of the National Lumbermen's Association. It is very 
unfortunate that Mr. Scanlon who was scheduled to present this 
paper has been unable to come, but the committee on arrangements 
were exceedingly fortunate in getting in his stead, at the eleventh 
hour, a gentleman whose wide experience amply fits him to cover the 
subject very thoroughly. I take pleasure in introducing Mr. Gilchrist. 




A MIRACLE OF CHEMISTRY — CONVERSION OF SAWDUST INTO STOCK FOOD 



170 The Forest Products Laboratory 

SOME PROBLEMS OF THE LUMBER INDUSTRY 

W. A. Gilchrist j, National Lumber Manufacturers' Association 

Ladies and Gentlemen: 

This is a pleasure even though it is a substitute arrangement. You 
know Mr. Scanlan who was to speak is a prominent and successful 
lumberman and an earnest believer in this activity, and it is my regret 
that he was not able to be here to present this problem in the masterful 
manner that he would. 

I have heard some of my friends say "By all means say something 
complimentary about Madison". I heard yesterday our good friend 
Mr. Weiss, speak of the bathing facilities afforded in the vicinity. I 
have tried them all and I can say that after an early morning swim in 
this lake, one can undertake almost any obligation in connection with 
the problem confronting us. 

Our industry is credited as being the largest consumer of the 
products of the forest. Our chief forester, Colonel Greeley, made the 
statement that the forest growth is but one-fourth of the normal or 
annual consumption. 

I regret being compelled to make this statement, but it seems to be 
the consensus of public opinion that the average lumberman is opposed 
to a federal, or forestry policy. I hasten to correct this idea. We lum- 
bermen are in sympathy with any reasonable forest policy. It is a 
broad problem which cannot be solved by the theoretical gentlemen, the 
practical ones, or the technical ones, but only by all of them working 
cooperatively. 

I have every reason to believe that they can bring forth a policy 
handling this most important problem that will be worth our while, 
We must bear in mind that we need a conservative one, one that will 
endure and one to which our posterity fifty years hence will say "Well 
done". That is our spirit, and that is what we want incorporated in 
that policy. 

We lumbermen insist that there shall be provision made for the 
proper utilization of the natural stands of timber by economical means. 
We believe that the opportunity exists for the handling of that timber 



A Decennial Record 171 

and without burdensome restrictions. Gentlemen, it affords me pleas- 
ure as a lumberman to make that statement, and I trust that the other 
lumbermen of my acquaintance appreciate the situation and will go 
forth and spread this gospel at all times. 

I am a lumberman. 

The definition of a lumberman as commonly understood by the 
public is one who maliciously and wantonly destroys the forests. 

They are presumed to be a rough set of men ; men without char- 
acter. 

Being frontier men, naturally they are presumed to be devoid of 
the niceties that go to make life worth living, an uneducated class. 
Their mathematics are presumed to be sadly neglected. Even as much 
as in the case of my early acquaintance, Capt. Jack Downer, a master 
of a lake lumber cargo steamer. In the early days of the lumber indus- 
try, in the vicinity of the Great Lakes, small steamers were used to 
transport the cargoes of lumber from point of manufacture to the 
lower lake ports, the points of consumption. Upon departure from 
the port of loading, a document was handed to the ship's master indi- 
cating the quantity of lumber and the freight rate per thousand feet 
expressed in shillings. The cargo upon this particular voyage con- 
sisted of 392,782 feet of lumber at a rate of 13 shillings. Captain 
Jack's early education had been much neglected. The period of the 
voyage was three days. In order to determine the amount of freight 
money to be collected, the captain spent all of the three days in a vain 
effort to determine the sum. No two computations resulted alike, 
and as the voyage was nearing completion, with the table in front of 
him covered with bits of paper in his effort to arrive at this result, in 
exasperation Captain Jack beat the table forcibly with his fist and ex- 
claimed, "Why in h — 1 don't they make these rates $1.00 or $2.00 so 
that a man can figure them". 

Wastes were excessive in the harvesting of the forest, the me- 
chanical appliances were likewise destructive and wasteful about the 
mills. But, gentlemen, bear in mind that the lumber business, no dif- 
ferent from any other commercial industry, is an economic problem, 
and failure confronts it if pursued in any other manner. 

Within my memory, the early lumberman was unable to indulge 
himself in any of the modern luxuries — his food was of a substantial 
character, but consisted principally of beans and salt pork — for the 



172 The Forest Products Laboratory 

reason that the profits were such as did not permit of more. The early, 
successful lumberman was a student of economics in his own way, and 
those who were not failed. The successful ones interpreted the term, 
"merchantable" — that which could be harvested at a profit — accu- 
rately, and there are many instances of financial disaster of those who 
failed to comprehend. 

The term "lumber king" and "lumber baron" were earned only 
by those who deserved it, and came only to those with foresight, wis- 
dom, and above all, with the ability to discern the economics of the 
problem. 

The term, "merchantable", is a variable one in the classification 
of either timber or its products. It differs at this date from that of 
thirty years ago ; it differs today as to localities ; for instance, low qual- 
ity timber classed as mechantable in the state of New York would likely 
be classed as being below that term in the states of Texas or California, 
namely, unprofitable to harvest. Therefore, care must be taken in 
discussing problems of our industry, as they are purely problems of 
economics. 

Other industries possess the same and similar problems. Gold 
mining in the West was no exception. Witness the tailing piles of 
these early mines being worked by Chinamen. The famous Black Hill 
gold mining district of the Dakotas, a low valued ore for years, wasted 
a value of eighty cents per ton in tailing, when their raw material was 
presumed to carry but some $2.30, as it was more economical to return 
to the raw material supply than attempt too great an extraction. The 
sugar producer permits a waste of two to four per cent of sucrose and 
replenishes with raw material. 

I retired from the lumber business and for some years engaged in 
the production of sugar. In one employment I had a preceptor, a gen- 
tleman trained in the European school of economics, a most competent 
sugar man. One day in discussing our problems, he stated, "Gilchrist, 
I was 15 years in learning American methods of sugar manufacture". 
The explanation was based upon low European wages and high cost 
of raw material compared to high American wages and low cost of raw 
material. It is a simple problem in economics. 

A number of years ago, when this wonderful Forest Service was 
organized, young men representing this institution appeared before 
us lumbermen at our conventions. These young men upon all occa- 



A Decennial Record 173 

sions were most affable, and they frequently addressed us. We in- 
dulged them. We were good natured. Some of the statements made 
by these young college men — always good looking and enthusiastic 
chaps — we poor lumbermen engaged in wallering logs from the 
swamps envied them, for sure they possessed a degree from some uni- 
versity as foresters, and, therefore, we solicited their advice — but — 
some of the proposals made by these young men were interesting at 
least — but blamed impractical. Frequently they indulged in predic- 
tions as to the financial outcome of our industry; on some occasions 
they indulged in comments indicating that portions of our industry 
could fairly be classified as profiteering were we to advance the price 
of our commodity. 

I am free to admit that many lumbermen considered the com- 
ments of some of these young foresters as right impertinent. I wish 
some of these young men, after an experience of some fifteen years, 
would review their notes of these addresses, and, of course to them- 
selves, conclude what changes they would make in the advice offered 
at that particular time. 

The evolution was and is as my sugar friend explained — Ameri- 
can industry can not be conducted upon European principles. The 
forester's training is by European instruction or its influence upon 
such instruction. Required — American instructions applicable to 
American industry. 

I offer a ray of hope. The modern American lumberman while 
a frontierman of necessity, for timber is only available in such vicini- 
ties in the main, has himself developed. At least 25 per cent and 
possibly 40 per cent of the present generation of lumbermen of my 
acquaintance who are directing a modern lumber business are college 
men. While such training is not of prime necessity to the success of 
the lumber business, it indicates a type of man whose brain is presumed 
to have been afforded an opportunity to develop. Therefore, these 
men, usually being ones of influence, should be more receptive to prob- 
lems required in the advance of our industry. 

Certain activities of this wonderful institution, the Forest Prod- 
ucts Laboratory, are attracting the earnest attention of members of 
our industry. Being engaged in the commercial side of the lumber 
business, I hear comments of the most favorable nature, that I fear do 
not come to the ears of those sincere men engaged in directing this 



174 The Forest Products Laboratory 



activity. The packing box investigation is of inestimable value. The 
problems associated with the seasoning of lumber are so far reaching 
that it in itself is a subject for discussion that would engage attention 
indefinitely. However, these are problems of the products of the for- 
ests only. 

There is another field of activity that requires exploitation. It has 
to do with the prevention of wastes and the use of the unpreventable 
wastes — if there be any. Many lumbermen believe that the policy of 
harvesting the mature stands of timber, by the most economical means, 
at this time or as soon as possible, is proper. The imposition of burden- 
some restrictions that retard such a policy we believe to be uneco- 
nomical. 

To a degree this is a mechanical problem. Our industry has been 
classed, and rightfully so, as a mechanically progressive industry. The 
development has been directed along the lines of labor-saving devices. 
The success of such development is observed in the sawmill proper, 
where particularly laborious tasks have been eliminated. However, 
there remain certain tasks which are particularly laborious in certain 
portions of our operations, and I will touch upon some of these later. 
We have, however, as an industry, neglected mechanical develop- 
ment which tends to reduce waste. 

It is indicated by surveys of some specific branches of lumber 
production that about one-third of the cubic contents of the tree ulti- 
mately reaches the form of lumber. Some seven per cent of loss occurs 
in the form of stumps. Another seventeen per cent occurs in the me- 
chanical losses of sawdust and shavings. These three items of losses 
are worthy of attack. 

A survey of a yellow pine operation indicated that there existed 
a preventable loss of an amount of 450 feet per acre, or approximately 
two per cent of the original stand of timber on this area. This was 
preventable by severing the stump at a line six inches above the ground 
level. A premium was offered the woodsmen who did this cutting to 
encourage them to reduce this stump height, explaining to them that 
they too were indirectly interested in the perpetuation of the life of the 
sawmill institution, and by so doing an additional amount of some 
300,000 feet of timber might be removed from each section of land cut. 
This method of cutting is most laborious. Men must crouch in an 
awkward position. Many of the men objected, in spite of the induce- 



A Decennial Record 175 

ments offered. I pay tribute to the proprietor of this business who 
perfected this seemingly slight economy, for the obstacles were many. 

There exists no mechanism that accomplishes this task to perfec- 
tion, the common and principal fault being a lack of portability of such 
machines as are now available, due to excess weight. The task that 
confronts us is one of mere engineering — to establish rules covering 
the creation of suitable mechanism. 

Who better can accomplish this than an engineer cooperating with 
the woodsmen? 

Funds in limited quantities are available for the establishment of 
a piece of mechanism to assist in the inquiry into the possibilities of 
circular saws. This is being conducted by the National Lumber Man- 
ufacturers' Association. The excessive saw kerf in the apparatus used 
in certain required operations about the sawmill is well known. A 
sawmill operation is a commercial institution. and can poorly serve as 
an experimental laboratory. It is common knowledge that certain re- 
cently developed alloys in steel have solved many manufacturing prob- 
lems in the metal tool trades — in our own industry in the planing mill. 
The planing mill equipment of ten or twelve years ago is now obsolete. 
The manufacturers of saws have been limited in their possible experi- 
ment and development, for present sawmill equipment prohibited 
experimenting. The factor of speeds of cutting points, an important 
element in production, was defined ; the human element likewise is in- 
volved, having to do with the care and sharpening (filing) of saws. 

The saw manufacturer is hedged in by the steel manufacturer, 
the sawmill machinery builder, and the sawmill operator. Without 
the cooperation of all of these, no progress can be made. 

It is proposed to install equipment for experimental purposes of 
a type where speeds are available to a degree that does not now exist 
in commercial mechanism. The saw manufacturer, the steel producer, 
the metallurgist are invited to investigate and cooperate in these de- 
velopments. They are responding with a will, and so the sawmill ma- 
chinery builder and the lumber producer hope for progress. 

It is to be desired that the progress, for the present at least is to 
be in the direction of reclaiming some of these losses attributed to saw- 
dust, and not in increased capacities. This problem is merely one of 
economics. It must be made a profitable one. Therefore, with this 
in mind, a survey of such losses, their allocations, and whether they are 



176 The Forest Products Laboratory 

of a preventable nature should be made. This should be followed by a 
later survey to determine if they still exist after the introduction of 
mechanism that is to be developed to utilize them in some profitable 
manner. 

This is a momentous problem and one that manufacturing lum- 
bermen and stumpage owners should pay for, for they alone benefit 
directly thereby. I submit to you gentlemen this statement of condi- 
tions, and ask for your sincere assistance in support of an activity to 
spread this information to the lumbermen themselves, for "If there be 
any criticism to be passed upon the lumbermen it is that they have kept 
their achievements too much to themselves. They have been satisfied 
to make a large amount of worthless land extremely valuable, and have 
not taken the trouble to explain their work to the people at large. This 
is a period of great publicity and large advertising, and the lumber 
industry must realize this fact in order to keep abreast of the times". 
This quotation, substituting the name of lumbermen for iron ore 
miners, is from a poblic document treating of iron ore deposits in the 
state of Minnesota, and indicates the pleasant relations that exist be- 
tween commercial and technical branches of this particular industry, 
and is a sentiment that I wish might be encouraged and intensified be- 
tween the practical lumbermen and the technical division of the forest 
products industry. 



APPENDIX 



REGISTRATION LIST 

Forest Products Laboratory Decennial Celebration, Madison, 
Wisconsin, July 22 and 23, 1920 

Ackerman, E. D., Waterproof Adhesives Co., Milwaukee, Wis. 

Adams, F. R., Pacific Lumber Co., Chicago, 111. 

Alexander, John E., Nekoosa-Edwards Paper Co., Port Edwards, 
Wis. 

Alexander, John E., Mrs., Port Edwards, Wis. 

Alexander, L. M., Pres., Nekoosa-Edwards Paper Co., Port Ed- 
wards, Wis. 

Alexander, L. M., Mrs., Port Edwards, Wis. 

Altaian, N. A., J. W. Butler Paper Co., Chicago, 111. 

Anderson, W. R., Publisher, "Packages", Milwaukee, Wis. 

Angier, F. J., Baltimore & Ohio R. R., Baltimore, Md. 

Babbitt, W. C, Gen. Secy., Natl. Assn. of Wood Turners, South 

Bend, Ind. 
Baker, John S., Baker Mfg. Co., Evansville, Wis. 
Baker, Wm. B., Secy., Nat'l Assn. Chair Mfgrs., Chicago, 111. 
Barr, H. G., J. I. Case Co., Racine, Wis. 
Barth, Kurt, Barrett Co., Chicago, 111. 
Bartle, F. C, Mrs., Madison, Wis. 
Bartle, Gladys, Madison, Wis. 
Bartle, Vernetta, Madison, Wis. 
Bauer, Carl, Doesch & Bauer Co., Chicago, 111. 
Belknap, G. F., Aeroshade Co., Waukesha, Wis. 
Birge, E. A., Pres., University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 
Bitting, A. W., Dr., Glass Containers Assn., Chicago, 111. 
Blackburn, Robert, Wilbur Lumber Co., Milwaukee, Wis. 
Blanco, J. P., San Juan, Porto Rico. 

Boehme, E. E., International Creosoting Co., Galveston, Tex. 
Boettcher, Albert E., Milwaukee Chair Co., Milwaukee, Wis. 



180 The Forest Products Laboratory 

Bolz, H. C, Bolz Cooperage Corp., St. Louis, Mo. 
Bolz, P. T., Pres., Bolz Cooperage Corp., St. Louis, Mo. 
Brandenburg, O. D., Pres., Democrat Printing Co.; Mng. Editor, 

Madison Democrat, Madison, Wis. 
Brantingham, C. S., Emerson-Brantingham Co., Bockford, 111. 
Brantingham, C. S., Mrs., Bockford, 111. 

Bray, Chas. P., Baggage Mfg. Assn., Conway Bldg., Chicago, 111. 
Bremer, G. B., J. J. Fitzpatrick Lumber Co., Madison, Wis. 
Brown, H. H., Pejepscott Paper Co., Brunswick, Maine. 
Bryant, It. C, Yale University, New Haven, Conn. 
Buckstaff, B. N., Buckstaff Co., Oshkosh, Wis. 
Buehler, Walter, Barrett Co., New York, N. Y. 
Burgess, C. F., Pres., C. F. Burgess Laboratory, Madison, Wis. 
Burgess, Mrs. C. F., Madison, Wis. 

Card, J. B., Central Creosoting Co., Chicago, 111. 

Caswell, A. B., Pfister & Yogel Leather Co., Milwaukee, Wis. 

Chapman, Arnold, International Alcohol Corp., New York, N. Y. 

Cheyney, E. G., University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn. (Chief, 
Division of Forestry) . 

Clark, Allen W., American Car & Foundry Co., Jeffersonville, Ind. 

Clark, Mrs. Allen W., Jeffersonville, Ind. 

Clark, W. A., Chief Engr., Duluth & Superior B. B., Duluth, Minn. 

Clausen, F. H., Yan Brunt Mfg. Co., Horicon, Wis. 

Compton, Wilson, Sec.-Mgr., National Lumber Mfgrs. Assn., Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Cone, A. B., "Lumber World Beview", Chicago, 111. 

Conrad, Elizabeth, Madison, Wis. 

Conzet, G. M., Fire Inspector, State of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn. 

Cooper, B. E., Spanish Biver Pulp & Paper Co., Soo, Ontario. 

Cornell, Herbert W., Milwaukee, Wis. 

Corry, W. J., Foster Creek Lumber & Mfg. Co., Madison, Wis. 

Cox, W. T., State Forester, St. Paul, Minn. 

Coye, C. W., Industrial Specialist, Grand Bapids, Mich. 

Crawford, Carl G., American Creosoting Co., Louisville, Ky. 

Curtis, C. E., Wisconsin Cabinet & Panel Co., New London, Wis. 

Cushman, B. E., Northwestern Timber Co., Mendota, 111. 



A Decennial Record 181 

Dahl, R. D., Shevlin, Carpenter & Clarke, Minneapolis, Minn. 

Dana, S. T., U. S. Forest Service, Washington, D. C. 

Davies, Luther, Oshkosh, Wis. (Lumberman). 

Defebaugh, Carl W., "American Lumberman", Chicago, 111. 

Demartini, F., Sec, Baggage Mfgr. Assn., Conway Bldg., Chicago, 

111. 
Dudley, J. E., Madison, Wis. 
Dudley, J. E., Mrs., Madison, Wis. 

Dumond, Louis A., Chicago Assn. of Commerce, Chicago, 111. 
Dunlap, Frederick, University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo. 

Esau, Ralph, Barrett Co., Chicago, 111. 

Everest, D. C, Secy, and Gen. Mgr., Marathon Paper Co., Wausau, 
Wis. 

Fitzpatrick, J. J., J. J. Fitzpatrick Lumber Co., Madison, Wis. 

Foley, John, Pennsylvania R. R. Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 

Frantz, S. G., Crossett Lumber Co., Crossett, Ark. 

Fredrickson, E. A., Virginia & Rainy Lake Co., Minneapolis, Minn. 

Fredrickson, S. D., A. D. & J. V. Fredrickson Lumber Co., Madison, 

Wis. 
Frick, O. H., Milwaukee, Wis. 
Fuller, L. E., Editor, "The Lumber & Veneer Consumers", Chicago, 

111. 
Furlong, Edward, "Packages", Milwaukee, Wis. 

Gilchrist, W. A., National Lumber Mfgrs. Assn., Chicago, 111. 
Goodman, R. B., R. B. Goodman Lbr. Co., Marinette, Wis. 
Goslines, C. E., D. L. & W. Railroad, Paterson, N. J. 
Grady, W. H., American Creosoting Co., Louisville, Ky. 
Graves, L. W., J. P. Devine Co., Buffalo, N. Y. 
Greeley, W. B., Forester, U. S. Forest Service, Washington, D. C. 
Green, George R., Pennsylvania State College of Forestry, State Col- 
lege, Pa. 
Greider, C. E., B. F. Sturtevant Co., Chicago, 111. 
Greider, C E., Mrs., Chicago, 111. 
Grow, J. H., Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Co., Milwaukee, Wis. 



182 The Forest Products Laboratory 

Gullickson, O., Pres., Chicago Furniture Assn. ; also Churchill Cabi- 
net Co., Chicago, 111. 
Gullickson, S., Churchill Cabinet Co., Chicago, 111. 

Hamilton, C. L., Weyerhauser Forest Products Co., St. Paul, Minn. 

Hanson, Adolph, J. I. Case Co., Racine, Wis. 

Harder, Geo. N., Rib Lake Lumber Co., Rib Lake, Wis. 

Harrington, C. L., Wisconsin Conservation Comm., Madison, Wis. 

Hemingway, E. E., Wisconsin Timber & Land Co., Mattoon, Wis. 

Hendricks, Mr., Madison, Wis. 

Henning, S. B., Anderson-Tully Co., Memphis, Tenn. 

Henry, A. T., Morgan Co., Oshkosh, Wis. 

Henry, G. E., Editor, "Barrel & Box", Chicago, 111. 

Hickey, E. H., Sec.-Treas., "Packages", Milwaukee, Wis. 

Hirt, J. F., Vice-Pres., Management Service Co., Chicago, 111. 

Hogue, C. J., West Coast Lumbermans' Assn., New York City. 

Holbrook, L. W., Asst. Treas., Shevlin Co., Minneapolis, Minn. 

Holderness, Robert M., Bain Wagon Co., Kenosha, Wis. 

Honnell, F. H., Wilson & Co., Chicago, 111. 

Horn, S. F., Editor, "Southern Lumberman", Nashville, Tenn. 

Hosford, Roger S., American Tel. & Tel. Co., New York, N. Y. 

Hosmer, Ralph S., Dept. of Forestry, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, N. Y. 

How, H. W., J. P. Devine Co., Buffalo, N. Y. 

Howard, H. C, National Assn. of Box Mfgrs., Chicago, 111. 

Howe, H. E., National Research Council, Washington, D. C. 

Howson, E. T., "Railway Maintenance Engineer", Chicago, 111. 

Hoyt, H. B., Supt., Timber Preserving Plant, B. R. & P. Railroad, 

Bradford, Pa. 
Hubbard, C. W., Pres., Northwestern Timber Co., Mendota, 111. 
Hurd, N. L., Mid-West Box Co., Chicago, 111. 

Imrie, J. E., Cutler Desk Co., Buffalo, N. Y. 
Imrie, J. E., Mrs., Buffalo, N. Y. 

Jackson, Carl D., Railroad Commission, Madison, Wis. 
Johnson, B. A., Editor, "Lumber World Review", Chicago, 111. 
Jones, B. W., Lawyer, Madison, Wis. 
Jones, Mrs. B. W., Madison, Wis. 



A Decennial Recokd 183 

Jones, G. W., Appleton, Wis. 

Jones, J. E., Southern Pine Assn., New Orleans, La. 

Jones, T. E., Athletic Director, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 

Joyce, A. R., Joyce- Watkins Co., Chicago, 111. 

Judd, Roy, Oxford, Wis. 

Karges, E. P., Karges Furniture Co., Evansville, Ind. 

Keig, J. R., Treating Inspector, A. T. & S. F. R. R., Chicago, 111. 

Keith, L. P., National Lbr. Mfgrs. Assn., Chicago, 111. 

Kelly, T. E., Madison, Wis. 

Keyser, Henry, Western Grip & Trunk Co., Milwaukee, Wis. 

Kimberly, H. H., Morgan Co., Oshkosh, Wis. 

Kittridge, J. Jr., Forest Service, Washington, D. C. 

Knowlton, H. A., Reed College, Portland, Ore. 

Kraber, G. L., Turbine Air Tool Co., Cleveland, Ohio. 

Krafft, V. W., Sec, Associated Cooperage Industries of America, 

St. Louis, Mo. 
Krenz, M. B., Mrs., Chicago, 111. 

Lamb, Geo. N., American Walnut Mfgrs. Assn., Chicago, 111. 
Landstrom, O. E., Rockford Veneer & Panel Co., Rockford, 111. 
Leicester, W. F., Casein Glue Manufacturing Co., Chicago, 111. 
Lemke, O. C, Underwood Veneer Co., Wausau, Wis. 
Leopold, Fredrick, Leopold Desk Co., Burlington, Iowa. 
Lester, S. A., Doyon & Rayne Lumber Co., Madison, Wis. 
Long, H. A., Automotive Wood Wheel Mfgrs. Assn., Chicago, 111. 
Love joy, P. S., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. 
Lunenschloss, L. L., Foster Creek Lbr. & Mfg. Co., Madison, Wis. 

MacLean, M. M., Chief Chemist, Dodge Mfg. Co., Mishawaka, Wis. 

Mallen, H., H. Z. Mallen Co., Chicago, 111. 

Mandenberg, E. C, Barrett Co., Chicago, 111. 

Marschall, A. J., Marschall Dairy Laboratory, Madison, Wis. 

Martin, Gus, Doesch & Bauer Co., Chicago, 111. 

Mason, Max, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 

Mason, Mrs. Max, Madison, Wis. 

Maurer, E. R., Lniversity of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 

Mauthe, We, Casket Mfg. Assn. of the U. S., Fond du Lac, Wis. 



184 The Forest Products Laboratory 

Maxwell, Hu, "American Lumberman", Chicago, 111. 

McCaffrey, M. E., University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 

McCullough, E. W., Chamber of Commerce of the U. S. A., Wash- 
ington, D. C. 

McKeever, Francis H., 4-Ones Wirebound Box Mfgrs. Assn., Chi- 
cago, 111. 

McLarsen, A., Alfred Decker & Cohn, Chicago, 111. 

McLoughlin, J. M., Gen. Mgr., Wisconsin Cabinet & Panel Co., New 
London, Wis. 

McNair, C. J., Jr., Northwest Paper Co., Cloquet, Minn. 

Mead, Geo. W., Pres., Consolidated Water Power & Paper Co., 
Grand Rapids, Wis. 

Meeker, E. W., Editor, "Hardwood Record", Chicago, 111. 

Meeker, E. W., Mrs., Chicago, 111. 

Merritt, L. G., Merritt Engineering & Sales Co., Lockport, N. Y. 

Merritt, L. G., Mrs., Lockport, N. Y. 

Miller, R. B., State Forester, Urbana, 111. 

Moak, E. R., Managing Editor, Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, 
Wis. ^ l 

Moon, Franklin, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N. Y. 

Moroney, Robert E., Dallas, Texas. 

Morris, Fred H., Union Cedar Co., Toledo, Ohio. 

Morris, Leslie, Chicago Mill & Lumber Co., Chicago, 111. 

Mowry, Don E., Sec, Madison Assn. of Commerce, Madison, Wis. 

Nichol, F. M., Turbine Air Tool Co., Cleveland, Ohio. 
Norberg, Elizabeth, Portland, Ore. 

Osborne, A. L., Oshkosh, Wis. (Nat'l Lbr. Mfgrs. Assn.). 

Paul, C. E., Construction Engineer, National Lbr. Mfgrs. Assn., Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Peavy, Geo. W., Dean, School of Forestry, Oregon Agric. College, 
Corvallis, Ore. 

Peery, Thomas D., Grand Rapids Veneer Works, Grand Rapids, 
Mich. 

Peters, T. G., Forest Service, Washington, D. C. 



A Decennial Record 185 

Pettibone, G. D., National Assn. of Upholstered Furniture Mfgrs., 

Chicago, 111. 
Philipp, E. L., Governor, Commonwealth of Wisconsin, Madison, 

Wis. 
Pratt, C. A., Tacoma, Wash. 

Prien, J. C, Passenger Agent, C, M. & St. P. Ry., Madison, Wis. 
Pullen, King H., Southern Pine Assn., New Orleans, La. 

Quinn, D. L., Chicago Mill & Lumber Co., Chicago, 111. 

Quinn, D. L., Mrs., Chicago, 111. 

Quisna, C. L., Weyerhauser Forest Products, St. Paul, Minn. 

Padsch, It. M., Thilmany Pulp & Paper Co., Kaukauna, Wis. 
Rayne, Fred W., Doyon & Rayne Lumber Co., Madison, Wis. 
Redman, Kenneth, B. F. Sturtevant Co., Chicago, 111. 
Reiff, E., Casket Mfgrs. Assn. of of America, St. Paul, Minn. 
Rhodes, E. R., Standard Furniture Co., Herkimer, N. Y. 
Rhodes, J. E., Southern Pine Assn. New Orleans, La. 
Rice, Claude H., Milwaukee Chair Co., Milwaukee, Wis. 
Robinson, B. B., Hayes Iona Co., Iona, Mich. 

Sackett, H. S., Asst. Purchasing Agent, Chi., Milw. & St. Paul, Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Salt, W. S., Container Club, Chicago, 111. 

Sameit, H. J., Acting Sec, National Implement & Vehicle Assn., 
Chicago, 111. 

Sassey, F. L., J. J. Fitzpatrick Lumber Co., Madison, Wis. 

Schmid, R. V., Kimberley-Clarke Co.. Neenah, Wis. 

Schmidt, H., Elgin Butter Tub Co., Elgin, 111. 

Schorger, A. W., Chemist, C. F. Burgess Laboratories, Madison, 
Wis. 

Schorger, Mrs. A. W., Madison, Wis. 

Schuette, Henry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 

Schuh, J. P., Pres., Schuh-Mason Lumber Co., Cairo, 111. 

Schuh, Julius, Mrs., Cairo, 111. 

Schuh, Margaret, Cairo, 111. 

Schulte, W. B., C. F. Burgess Laboratories, Madison, Wis. 

Schultz, Marie, Chicago, 111. 



186 The Forest Products Laboratory 

Schultz, Otto, Pres., National Piano Mfgrs. Assn. of America, Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Schultz, Otto, Jr., Chicago, 111. 

Sensenbrenner, J. Leslie, Kimberly-Clarke Co., Neenah, Wis. 

Shelly, W. P., Shevlin, Carpenter & Clarke Co., Minneapolis, Minn. 

Sliger, O., Mengel Co., Louisville, Ky. 

Slocum, Bert, Madison, Wis. 

Smith, Kent, Shevlin, Carpenter & Clarke Co., Minneapolis, Minn. 

Smith, Lowry, Asst. Division Engineer, Northern Pacific It. K., St. 
Paul, Minn. 

Smith, M. W., Duiron Co., Dayton, Ohio. 

Snider, Margaret, Madison, Wis. 

Sterling, E. D., Yawkey-Bissell Lumber Co., White Lake, Wis. 

Sterling, Elsie, White Lake, Wis. 

Stocking, E. J., Central Creosoting Co., Chicago, 111. 

Stuart, M. H., National Basket & Fruit Packing Mfgrs. Assn., St. 
Joseph, Mich. 

Swan, O. T., Northern Hemlock & Hardwood Assn., Oshkosh, Wis. 

Swan, O. T., Mrs., Oshkosh, Wis. 

Tamlin, B. C, National Assn. of Corrugated Fibre Box Mfgrs. Assn., 

Chicago, 111. 
Taylor, C. M., Pennsylvania & Reading R. B., Port Beading, N. J. 
Taylor, Hugh K., Editor, "Lumber", St. Louis, Mo. 
Taylor, Lucy S., Madison, Wis. 
Taylor, S. D., Perkins Glue Co., South Bend, Ind. 
Taylor, W. D., Mrs., Madison, Wis. 
Thielens, A. B., Studebaker Corp., South Bend, Ind. 4 
Thomas, Leon I., Editor, "Factory", Chicago, 111. 
Thompson, P. M., Science Master, Windsor Collegiate College, 

Windsor, Ontario. 
Thorkelson, H. J., Business Mgr., Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 
Tiemann, J. H., Mrs., Madison, Wis. 
Tuttle, L. S., Minneapolis, Minn. (Wholesale Lumber Dealer). 

Van Camp, E. E., American Hardwood Mfgrs. Assn., Memphis, 

Tenn. 
Van Camp, E. E., Mrs., Memphis, Tenn. 



A Decennial Record 187 

Vilas, Dr. C. H., Board of Regents, University of Wisconsin, Mad- 
ison, Wis. 

Vogel, Fred A., Pfister & Vogel Co., Milwaukee Wis., Representing 
"Tanners Council." 

Waldron, Eloise, Fargo, North Dakota. 

Waldron, M. B., Agric. College of North Dakota, Fargo, N. D. 

Ward, A. F., National Assn. Basket & Fruit Package Mfgrs. Assn., 

Plymouth, Ind. 
Weiss, H. F., C. F. Burgess Laboratories, Madison, Wis. 
Weiss, H. F., Mrs., Madison, Wis. 
Werbelo, F. C, Shawano Box Co., Shawano, Wis. 
Wetmore, R. W., Sec'y and Treas., Shevlin Co., Minneapolis, Minn. 
Wheary, Geo. H., Hartmann Trunk Co., Racine Wis., Representing 

Baggage Mfgrs. Assn. 
Wheaton, W. R., Manager, Pulp wood Co., Appleton, Wis. 
Wheaton, W. R., Mrs., Appleton, Wis. 

Wheeler, W. C, Student, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 
White, Thos. A., Pres., Crane & MacMahon, Inc., St. Mary's, Ohio & 

St. Mary's Wheel & Spoke Co., St. Mary's, Ohio. 
Windoes, Ralph F., Editor, "Furniture Mfgr. & Artisan", Grand 

Rapids, Mich. 
Winkenwerder, Hugo, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash. 
Woodford, E. G., Yawkey-Bissell Lumber Co., White Lake, Wis. 
Woodford, E. G., Mrs., White Lake, Wis. 
Wright, Dorothy, Madison, Wis. 
Wulpi, M., Plywood Manufacturers' Assn., Chicago, 111. 

Yager, Louis, Engineer M. of Way, Northern Pacific R. R., St. Paul, 

Minn. 
Yager, Mrs., St. Paul, Minn. 

Young, Edward J., Foster Creek Lbr. & Mfg. Co., Madison, Wis. 
Young, Howard S., National Basket & Fruit Pkg. Mfgr. Assn., 

Indianapolis, Ind. 

Zelmer, Geo. R., Morgan Co., Oshkosh, Wis. 

Zelmer, Mr., Jr., Oshkosh, Wis. 

Zoelle, F. J., Passenger Agent, C. & N. W. Ry., Madison, Wis. 



A Decennial Record 



189 



FORMER STAFF MEMBERS 



S. F. Acree 



Forest Products Laboratory 

Left the laboratory prior to July 1, 1920, 

Manager, 

International Chemical Products Co. 

Eureka, Montana. 



Shirlev W. Allen 



Charles T. Barnum 



Francis M. Bond 



Forest Supervisor, 
Angeles National Forest 
Los Angeles, California. 

Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania. 

General Manager, 
Corticelli Silk Mills, 
Florence, Massachusetts. 



H. Stanley Bristol 



Frank E. Bonner 



Samuel Butterman 



James L. Brownlee 



Department Manager, 
Baeder-Adamson Company, 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

Assistant Chief Engineer, 
U. S. Forest Service, 
Washington, D. C. 

Proprietor, 

Monarch Textile Company, 

Chicago, Illinois. 

Assistant District Engineer, 
U. S. Forest Service, 
Denver, Colorado. 



190 



The Forest Products Laboratory 



Horace T. Burgess 
McGarvey Cline 



Waynesville, Ohio. 

Vice-President, 
Florida Pine Company, 
Consulting Engineer, 
Consolidated Naval Stores Co., 
Jacksonville, Florida. 



Robert E. Cooper 



Resident Engineer — Soo Mill, 
Spanish River Pulp & Paper Co., 
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. 



Ollison Craig 



Research Engineer, 
Underfeed Stoker Company, 
Detroit, Michigan. 



Richard A. Colgan 



Forester, 

Diamond Match Co.. 

Chico, Cal. 



Rufus Crane 



Assistant Professor of Engineering, 
Ohio Wesleyan University, 
Deleware, Ohio 



Clarence W. Coye 



Technical Expert, 

W. H. Coye Organization, 

Grand Rapids, Michigan. 



C. K. Cooperrider 



Grazing Examiner, 
U. S. Forest Service, 
Albuquerque, New Mexico. 



Fredrick Dunlap 



Consulting Forester, 
Columbia, Missouri. 



A Decennial Record 



191 



Edward P. Devlin 



Chemist, 

Pitcaim Varnish Company, 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 



Arthur J. DeSmidt 



Joseph D. Deihl 



Walter C. Daley 



Armin Elmendorf 



Nils B. Eckbo 



Lerov P. Elliott 



Ernest D. Fahlberg 



Jenness B. Frear 



Confectionery Manufacturer, 
Oshkosh, Wisconsin. 

Vice-Principal, 

Boys' Technical High School, 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

Central Waxed Paper Company, 
Chicago, Illinois. 

Consulting Engineer, 

Haskelite Manufacturing Corporation, 

Chicago, Illinois. 

In Charge Kiln Drying Research, 
Forest Department, 
Government of South Africa, 
Pretoria, South Africa. 

Dean, Vocational Courses, 
Bradley Polytechnic Institute, 
Peoria, Illinois. 

Assistant Professor, 

Department of Chemical Engineering, 

University of Wisconsin, 

Madison, Wisconsin. 

Specialist in Boxing and Crating, 
American Radiator Company, 
Buffalo, New York. 



192 



The Forest Products Laboratory 



Clark W. Gould 



Frank J. Hallauer 



S. B. Henning 



Henry J. Hegel 



M. H. Hostman 



Eugene F. Horn 

Jacob M. Johlin, Jr 
John A. Jess 



Don P. Johnston 



Forest Examiner, 
Office of Products, 
U. S. Forest Service, 
Portland, Oregon. 

Edward J. Young, Lumberman, 
Madison, Wisconsin. 

Technical Advisor on Gluing Problems, 
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

In Charge Collection and Claim 

Divisions, 
General Electric Company, 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Pacific Coast Representative, 

In Charge of Industrial Sales and 

Engineering, 
American Radiator Company, 
San Francisco, California. 

Linha Paulista, 

Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

Syracuse, University, 
Syracuse, New York. 

Consulting Mining Engineer, 
Jasper Park Collieries, Limited, 
Royal Mineral Association, 
Duluth, Minnesota. 

General Manager, 
Johnston-McNeil Company, 
Naval Stores, 
Okechobee, Florida. 



A Decennial Record 



193 



J. Norman Jensen 



Willam H. Kempfer 



Architectural Engineer, 

175 West Jackson Boulevard, 

Chicago, Illinois. 

Cattle Rancher, 
Deer Park, Florida. 



Simon Kirsch 



Botanical Laboratory, 
McGill University, 
Montreal, Canada. 



Fredrick W. Kressman Manager, 

Continental Turpentine and Rosin 

Company, 
Laurel, Mississippi. 



Harrv N. Knowlton 



Carl A. Kupfer 



Jesse B. Kommers 



James C. Lawrence 



Joseph P. Mehlig 



Boxing and Packing Specialist, 
General Electric Company, 
Schenectady, New York. 

California Representative, 
North Coast Dry Kiln Company, 
Berkeley, California. 

Associate Professor of Mechanics, 
University of Wisconsin, 
Madison, Wisconsin. 

President, 

American Chemical Machinery Co., 

Chester, Pennsylvania. 

University of Wyoming, 
Laramie, Wyoming. 



194 



The Forest Products Laboratory 



Leslie R. Morris 



Engineer, 

Chicago Mill and Lumber Company, 

Chicago, Illinois. 



William W. Morris 



Consulting Forester and Landscape 

Architect, 
Pine Bluff, Arkansas. 



Teodulo J. Medicielo 



Road Construction Engineer, 

City of Tacloban, 

Leyte, Philippine Islands. 



Samuel Morrell 



Chief Structural Engineer, 
Sanitary District of Chicago. 
Chicago, Illinois. 



Edward R. Maurer 



Professor of Mechanics, 
College of Engineering, 
University of Wisconsin, 
Madison, Wisconsin. 



George C. McNaughton 



Plant Superintendent, 
The Mead Fibre Company 
Kingsport, Tennessee. 



Andrew H. McKenzie Kansas City Fibre Company 

Kansas City, Kansas. 



Charles B. Norris 



Mechanical Engineer, 
Development and Maintenance of 

Plants. 
Haskelite Manufacturing Corporation, 
Grand Rapids, Michigan. 



A Decennial Record 



195 



Robert C. Palmer 



Chief Chemist, 

The Newport Company, 

Pensacola, Florida. 



E. W. Peters 



J. Aron & Company, Inc., 

95 Wall Street, 

New York, New York. 



Robert E. Prince 



Don L. Qui nn 



S. W. Schorger 



S up erint end ent , 

Adams and Elting Company, 

Chicago, Illinois. 

Manager Research Department, 
Chicago Mill & Lumber Company, 
Chicago, Illinois. 

Chemist, 

The Burgess Laboratories, 

Madison, Wisconsin. 



C. V. Sweet 



Edwin Sutermeister 



O. L. Sponsler 



Louis Suetter 



In Charge Lumber and Drying 

Research, 
Forest Research Institute, 
Dehra Dun, L T . P. India. 

Chief Chemist, 

S. D. Warren Company, 

Cumberland Mills, Maine. 

Research Fellow, 
Stanford University, 
Palo Alto, California. 

Technical Expert, 

W. H. Coye Organization, 

Grand Rapids, Michigan. 



196 



The Forest Products Laboratory 



Clyde H. Teesdale 
John H. Thickens 



Clinton K. Textor 



J. R. Watkins 



Howard F. Weiss 



O. L. E. Weber 



Lage Wemsted 



James B. Yule 



Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

Vice President and General Manager, 
The Meade Fibre Company, 
Kingsport, Tennessee. 

Chemical Engineer, 
Northwestern Paper Company, 
Cloquet, Minnesota. 

Research Engineer, 

Chicago Mill and Lumber Company, 

Chicago, Illinois. 

Treasurer, 

The Burgess Laboratories, 

Madison, Wisconsin. 

Vice President and General Manager, 
Watab Paper Company, 
Sartell, Minnesota. 

U. S. Forest Service, 
Portland, Oregon. 

Assistant Engineer, 
U. S. Forest Service, 
Missoula, Montana. 



1 73 














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